ROSS KELLETT IN CONTENTION IN MOROCCO FOR FIRST PRO WIN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Ross Kellett is in contention for his first win as a pro. The 24-year-old Motherwell rookie will start Friday's final round of the Alps Tour's Palmeraie Open at Marrakesh, Morocco in second place, two shots behind the American leader, Timothy O'Neal.
Kellett's four-birdie, one-bogey round of four-under-par 68 for nine-under 135 had him leading at one stage of the second day but O'Neal headed him with a 67 for 133.
Gavin Dear, level with Kellett (pictured) at the end of the first round, sagged to joint 14th place with a 73 which included a triple-bogey 7 at the last hole of a round which had started brightly for the Murrayshall man with birdies at the first, second and seventh.
Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol dropped three shots over the ninth and 10th holes but birdies at the second, seventh and 12th allowed him to salvage a par 72 for 143 and a share of 27th place alongside 2011 Walker Cup hero Steven Brown (Wentworth).
Phil McLean (Peterhead) is joint 31st after a 74 in which he double-bogeyed the 13th and also dropped shots at the 15th and 16th. He is on level par 144.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
133 Timothy Neal (US) 66 67.
135 Ross Kellett (Sco) 67 68.
136 Jack Senior (Eng) 69 67, Sebastien Gros (Fra) 66 70, Matteo Delpoddio (Ita) 69 67.
Selected scores
139 Andrew Cooley (Eng) 70 69, Dara Lernihan (Ire) 73 66 (T11).
140 Gavin Dear (Sco) 67 73, Gareth Shaw (Ire) 69 71, Warren Harmston (Eng) 72 68, Matthew Cryer (Eng) 69 71, Richard Kilpatrick (NIre) 698 71 (T14).
141 Jack Clarke (Eng) 68 73 (T20).
143 Kris Nicol (Sco) 71 72, Steven Brown (Eng) 74 69 (T27).
144 Phil McLean (Sco) 74 70, Stiggy Hodgson (Eng) 74 70 (T31).