HENDERSON ON A HIGHLAND HIGH WITH A 66 AT TAIN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com  Horses for courses? What about golfers for parts of the country they like? There must be something about the Highland air north of Inverness that turns on Scott Henderson, one time European Tour Rookie of the Year. Last year the Aberdeen Kings Links tour pro (pictured) finished second in a Tartan Tour 36-hole event at Tain and Brora Golf Clubs. And today Henderson returned to Tain to shoot a four-under-par 66 to lead the field at the halfway stage of the PGA Optical Express 36-hole Order of Merit Tournament. It's the only PGA in Scotland event that's played in two counties - Tain is in Ross-shire while Brora, the venue for Tuesday's final round, is farther north, in Sutherland. Henderson won't be doing any celebrating yet. He's only one shot ahead of Scottish PGA champion Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), just back from his honeymoon, and Ross McConnachie, an assistant at Peterculter Golf Club, near Aberdeen. And only two shots off the pace, ready to make a charge at Brora are players of the proven calibre of David Orr (Mearns Castle Golf Academy, David Patrick (Elie Sports Club), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), Ian Brown (Newent) and Chris Kelly (Cawder). Henderson dropped a shot as early as the second but the Aberdonian responded to that setback with birdies at the long fourth, sixth and short eight before he had his second and last bogey at the ninth in turning in one-under 34. Henderson, a former Northern Open champion, then improved to four under with birdies at the 10th, long 13th and 18th for three-under 32 home. Lockhart missed the two earlier PGA Optical Express Tour events due to his wedding which leaves him open to all sorts of jokes from his playing partners. But Alan showed no sign of lack of golf with a 67 which included birdies at the second, then four in a row from the 12th to the 15th. Two bogeys ropped him of the lead - a 6 at the long fourth and a 4 at the short 17th in halves of 35 and 32. Ross McConnachie has never been this high up a PGA in Scotland scoreboard but he earned joint second place on 67 with birdies at the sixth, 11th, 12th and long 13th and only one blemish, a bogey at the short eigth, in halves of 35 and 32. Stephen Gray (Hayston), winner of last year's Tain-Brora double-header, is joint 16th on 71 while Welshman Gareth Wright (West Linton), winner of the first PGA Optical Express Tour event at Dundonald Links last month is a good deal farther back on 75.