BORN-AGAIN GORDON LYING THIRD AT LYTHAM TROPHY HALFWAY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Reinstated amateur Graham Gordon from Aberdeen is optimistic that he can "do it all again" in the unpaid ranks after a professional career that hardly got off the launch pad.

Illness and injury contributed to his failure to transfer the skills that made him Scottish amateur champion and a Walker Cup player in 2003.

Gordon, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, is playing his comeback year low-key but the signs are there in the easly-season tournaments that he can turn the clock back - if not all the way to his heyday, at least to a standard of which he can be proud after his dark days as a pro.

Now in his 30s, Gordon posted a three-under-par 67 in the second round of the Lytham Trophy today for a 36-hole tally of 138. That guaranteed him a place in the draw for Sunday's final two rounds for which he will start in third place.

It was vintage Gordon as he got an eagle 2 at the par-4 15th and birdies at the fourth, sixth, 10th and 11th. And that was after a potentially demoralising start of bogey-par-bogey.

His only other bogey came at the 16th in halves of 34-33.

Only two other players scored 67 today -  the halfway leader Dan Huizing (Netherlands), No 7 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and second-placed Matthew Wallace (Moor Park).
Huizing is pictured on the left.

Huizing's pair of 67s for six-under-par 134 give him a lead of three shots from Wallace (70-67) and Gordon is tucked in behind Wallace in third place.

Huizing, Wallace and Gordon are the only three players under par after 36 holes.

Downfield's Ross Bell, top Scot in the first round with a 69, sagged to a 75 for 144 but only Gordon of the Tartan Army who went over the Border to invade Lancashire has overtaken him.

Kilmacolm's Matthew Clark had a 71 for 145, one ahead of Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) , who repeated his first-day 73, and Royal Aberdeen's Scott Larkin who slumped from a 70 to a 76.

Daniel Kay (Dunbar) (77-70) and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) (72-75) are on 157.

Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) also failed to build on a first-round 70. He required 78 blows to get round the Royal Lytham links which have been toughened up for the staging of the Open championship in July.

Fraser McKenna (Balmore), winner of the Scottish champion of champions' 72-hole event at Leven last month, had a nightmare 83 second time round for 157 which saw him miss the cut by the goodly margin of 10 strokes.

McKenna had a triple bogey 7 at the eighth and double bogeys at the short fifth, 10th and 17th.

Sic transit gloria indeed for McKenna. Twelve months ago he was the leading Scot with a fifth place finish in the Lytham Trophy.

Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie), the Craigmillar Park Open winner, was another big name Scot to be on his way back over the Border earlier than most expected.
The Stirling student shot 75-83 for 158, 11 shots over the maximum

LEADING SECOND-ROUND SCORES

Par 140 (2x70)

134 Dan Huizing (Netherlands) 67 67

137 Matthew Wallace (Moor Park) 70 67

138 Graham Gordon (Newmachar) 71 67.

141 Moritz Lampert (Germany) 69 72, Jamie Donaldson (West Sussex) 72 69.

142 James Frazer (Pennard) 72 70, Ben Westgate (Trevose) 68 74, Reeve Whitson (Mourne) 72 70.

143 Alan Dunbar (Rathmore) 71 72, Curtis Griffiths (Wentworth) 70 73, Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park) 70 73, Seb Nixon (Workington) 71 72.

OTHER SCOTS SCORES

144 Ross Bell (Downfield) 69 75.

145 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 74 71.

146 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 73 73, Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 70 76.

147 Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 77 70, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 72 75.

MISSED THE CUT (147 or better qualified)
148 Alex Culverwell (Dunbar) 70 78.

149 James White (Lundin) 73 76.

150 Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) 75 75.

152 Brian Soutar (Leven GS) 75 77

155 Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 79 76.

157 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 74 83, Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) 75 82.

158 James Bunch (Prestwick) 79 79, Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 78 80, John Duff (Newmachar) 80 78, Gordon Miller (Cawder) 85 73, Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 75 83.

159 Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) 77 82

 Withdrew: Paul Gault (Westerwood) 80 -.

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