CHRIS KELLY HEADS DAVID PATRICK IN BATTLE OF THE BIRDIES

Cawder's Chris Kelly leads the field at the halfway stage of the 36-hole Deer Park Masters with a scintillating round of nine-under-par 63 at the Livingston venue. Kelly made the most of the slightly better conditions - not so much rain - for the second shotgun starters and he birdied the second, fourth, fifth, eigthth, 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th without a single bogey in sight. Former Walker Cup man David Patrick (Elie Sports Centre) had headed the first shotgun starters in the rain with a 64 which he studded with an eagle 3, at the long 12th, and birdies at the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, 10th and 14th. Patrick, like Kelly, kept a bogey off his card. DEER PARK MASTERS TOURNAMENT Deer Park Country Club, Livingston. FIRST ROUND Par 72 63 Chris Kelly (Cawder) 64 David Patrick (Elie SC). 65 Craig Lee (Tain). 66 Stephen Gray (Hayston). 67 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory). 68 Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie). 69 Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), James McKinnon (Irvine), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs). 70 Michael Patterson (Kilmacolm), Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Mark King (Kingsfield), Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle), Greg McBain (Gamola Golf). 71 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Steven Duncan (Carnoustie), Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon). 72 James McGhee (Duddingston), Kevin Phillips (Winterfield), Chris Doak (unatt). 73 Christopher Currie (Caldwell), Alan Reid (West Lothian),Stephen Lamb (Cardrona). 74 Stuart Pardoe (SP Golf), Samuel Cairns (Colville Park), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Alistair Brown (Whitecraigs), Ross Neil (Drumpellier), Sandy Strachan (Deer Park), Jamie Wales (Kingsknowe). 75 Gareth Wright (West Linton), Brian Gibson (Carrick on Loch Lomond), Andrew Cooper (Newmachar). 76 Craig Gordon (Edinburgh GC), Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf), Alastair Thomson (Douglas Park). 77 Mark Kerr (Murrayfield), Colin Gillies (Kingsfield), Andrew Dunsmore (Deer Park), Joel Hopwood (Skibo Castle), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle). 78 Graham Forbes (Gourock), Jordan Ramanauska (Gullane). 79 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank). 81 Gareth Hardy (Belleisle). ends