DAVID LAW LEADS NORTHERN OPEN BY THREE AT HALFWAY

                    
DAVID LAW LEADS BY THREE AT
HALFWAY IN NORTHERN OPEN

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
colin@scottishgolfview.com
David Law, winner of the title as an amateur two years ago, came storming home in six-under-par 29 for the second day in a row to surge three strokes clear of the field at the halfway stage of the Northern Open, sponsored by AVC Media, at Meldrum House Golf Club, Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire.
With rounds of 63 and 65 over the par-70 course, the 22-year-old former Scottish amateur kingpin, who plays out of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, is on the 12 under par mark.
Late finisher Law dislodged overnight leader and fellow Aberdonian Scott Henderson who, despite a return of his putting problems, had led for several hours on nine-under 131 after following up an opening 62 with a 69.
"It was slightly more difficult today. There was a one-club wind on certain parts of the course that made it tricky and explains why the overall scoring was not quite as good as on Tuesday," said David who has two or three wins under his belt as a professional - but not in the United Kingdom.
"I led the Northern Open by two shots after three rounds when I won the title in 2011. To lead by three after two rounds is fine but it won't make any difference to my game plan. I still have to go for the birdies.
"I made a slow start today and was one over par after nine holes with bogeys at the fourth, sixth and ninth cancelling out birdies at the first and fifth.
"But I stayed patient, knowing that the birdie chances on the inward half had still to come. And I was able to take them."
Law birdied the short 10th, the long 11th, the 13th, the short 15th, the long 16th and the 17th.
"I left one in the jaws at the last  but I can't complain about 29 shots for an inward half."
Henderson, winner of the Northern Open in 1996, lost the putting touch he thought he had recaptured in the first round. He missed some three or four-footers early on, which did not do his confidence with the flat stick any good, and he three-putted three times later on
"Apart from failing to hole some short putts, basically, I failed to take advantage of the three par-5 holes, the fifth, the 11th and
16th, all of them birdie chances, but I could only par them all," said Henderson.
His four birdies came at the sixth - a tap-in putt - the eighth - he was able to hole out from 3ft at this one - the 15th, where he holed his best putt of the round, from about 20ft, and the 17th where he sank a 6ft putt.
Sharing third place at halfway on 133 are defending champion James Byrne (Banchory) (67-66) and Panmure's Andrew Crerar (68-65)
Byrne felt it was not one of his better ball-striking rounds so he was quite pleased to come off with a four-under-par round.
"Even a year ago, I might have become quite frustrated out there but I am a little bit wiser and older and I just kept calm and waited for things to work themselves out," said James.
Crerar birdied the long fifth, the short sixth, the long 11th, the 12th, short 15th and long 16th with only one bogey, at the ninth in a 65
The race for the leading amateur trophy, the Bookless Cup, is a straight fight between the new Scottish amateur champion Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) and Cawder's Jamie Savage,recent winner of the East of Scotland Open.
Culverwell is on 138 after rounds of 71 and 67. Savage is a shot behind after scores of 66 and 73. Savage, 19, had 37 putts in the second round.

Scottish PGA champion Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), like Henderson and Byrne for that matter, a former Northern Open title winner, got "in the mix" with a five-under 65 for 134.
"I'm rueing that double bogey 7 at the 16th in the first round but six birdies and one bogey was not a bad day," he said.
"I changed the shaft in my driver between rounds and I think that helped"
Hutcheon's birdies came at the second, the eighth, the 12th and then a closing three in a row from the 16th.
His only bogey was a 6 at the 11th where, by his own admission, he took too much club for his approach, went through the back and finished up three-putting.
Hutch felt better after a 20-footer dropped for a birdide at the 12th.
Former PGA Cup player Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs), who had a 65 in the first round improved to nine under par when he reached the turn in 31 but it all went pear-shaped for the 50-year-old over the last seven holes.
He bogeyed the 12th, short 15th, 17th and short 18th, with only one birdie, at the 13th, in an iwnard half of 38.
STATS
A total of 38 players with 36-hole totals of one-over-par 141 and better qualified for tomorrow's final 36 holes.
There were 25 first-round scores under 70 - and the same number under 70 again in the second round.
Lowest score in the first round was eight-under 62. Lowest scores in the second round were 65s, achieved by David Law, Chris Kelly, Stephen Gray, Andrew Crerar and Greig Hutcheon.

THERE WILL BE A TWO-TEE START TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH ROUNDS OF THE NORTHERN OPEN

THIRD ROUND TEE TIMES
FROM TEE ONE 
8.00 Fraser Mann and Paul Wardell
8.09 Stephen Lamb and Kenny Hutton 
8.18 Mark Loftus and Alexander Culverwell (am)
8.27 David Orr and David Patrick
8.36 Stephen Gray and Greg McBain
8.45 Christopher Currie and Robert Arnott
8.54 Greig Hutcheon and Jonathan Lomas
9.03 Graham Fox and Chris Kelly.
9.12 James Byrne and Andrew Crerar
9.21 Scott Henderson and David Law.
FOURTH ROUND
Add 4hr 45min to the third round tee times.
12.45 Mann and Wardell
12.54 Lamb and Hutton
1.03 Loftus and Culverwell (am)
1.12 Orr and Patrick
1.21 Gray and McBain 
1.30 Currie and Arnott
1.39 Hutcheon and Lomas
1.48 Fox and Kelly
1.57 Byrne and Crerar
2.06 Henderson and Law.


SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70)
+38 players with totals of 141 and better qualified for
Thursday's final two rounds.
128 D Law (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 63 65
131 S Henderson (Kings Links) 62 69
133 A Crerar (Panmure) 68 65, J Byrne (Banchory) 67 66
134 C Kelly (Cawder) 69 65, G Fox (Clydeway Golf) 64 70, J Lomas (Caprington) 67 67, G Hutcheon (Banchory) 69 65, R Arnott (Bishopbriggs) 65 69
135 C Currie (Caldwell) 68 67,  G McBain (Gamola Golf) 68 67
136 S Gray (Hayston) 71 65
137 D Orr (Mearns Castle) 69 68, D Patrick (Kingsfield) 66 71, M Loftus (Mearns Castle) 70 67
138 A Culverwell (Dunbar) (am) 71 67, K Hutton (Downfield) 68 70, S Lamb (Macdonald Cardrona) 72 66
139 P Wardell (Whitekirk) 72 67, F Mann (Musselburgh) 69 70, G Brown (Montrose Links) 70 69, P Walker (Ballumbie Castle) 71 68, M Isaacs (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 68 71, G Paxton (Ralston) 70 69, C Ronald (Carluke) 69 70, J Savage (Cawder) (am) 66 73
140 M King (Kingsfield) 70 70, P O'Hara (Clydeway Golf) 71 69, C Mathieson (Falkirk Tryst) 69 71, J Cliff (Murrayfield) 68 72, C Russell (RAW golf course design) 70 70
141 J McKinnon (Irvine) 71 70, J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 72 69, I Donaldson (Meldrum House) 71 70, T Mathieson (Murcar Links) 67 74, R Dixon (Renaissance) 70 71, C Lawson (Wellsgreen) 71 70, J Savage (Cawder) (am) 66 73, P McLean (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 69 72
MISSED THE CUT
142 S Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 74 68, D Kay (Dunbar) (am) 73 69, M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) 72 70, G Dingwall (Royal Dornoch) 70 72, S Herald (Mearns Castle) 68 74, R King (Carrick on Loch Lomond) 71 71
143 K McNicoll (Gullane) 73 70, Colin Robinson (Prestonfield) 72 71, J Fraser (Renaissance) 70 73
144 N Fenwick (Dunbar) 74 70, Christopher Robinson (Portpatrick Dunskey) 72 72, P Wilson (Cawder) 70 74, G Watson (Meldrum House) (am) 71 73, N Robson (Meldrum House) (am) 69 75, J Duff (Newmachar) (am) 71 73, C Elliott (Haggs Castle) 69 75
145 R MacLeod (Clydeway Golf) 73 72, A Duncan (Elgin) 73 72, C Gordon (Edinburgh GC) 73 72
146 P Lovie (P1 Corporate) 70 76, R Rushford (Swanston New) 77 69, P Robinson (Largs) 71 75, J Porteous (Craigielaw) 72 74, F Cromarty (Castle Stuart) 70 76, G Law (Uphall) 73 73 
147 M Patterson (Kilmacolm) 76 71, D Broadfoot (Dumfries and Co) 72 75, C Tierney (Airdrie) 76 71, S Aird (McDonald Ellon) 73 74, J McGhee (unatt) 72 75, C Everett (Caldwell) 74 73, C Lutton (Dubai) 71 76
148 S Savage (Dalmuir) 77 71, K Baxter (Buchanan Castle) 78 70
149 C McMaster (Panmure) 81 68, C Tortolano (Gleneagles) 75 74, S McLaren (Blairgowrie) 77 72, R McConnachie (Peterculter) 71 78, A Munro (Musselburgh) 79 70, B Mason (Callaway Golf) 74 75, A Cooper (Newmachar) 78 71
150 C Smith (Royal Musselburgh) 75 75, N Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) 77 73, A Sorrie (Meldrum House) (am) 73 77, C Beveridge (West Kilbride) 72 78, J Ramanauskas (Gullane) 74 76, J Gallagher (Douglas Park) 73 77, J Sharp (Carrick on Loch Lomond) 76 74
151 D Wood (Hirsel) 79 72, G Nicolson (Mortonhall) 75 76
152 J Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey) 78 74
153 T Poyser (Renaissance) 78 75, D Williamson (Kirkhill) 74 79
154 A Weir (Montrose) 84 70, P Brookes (Pitreavie) 77 77, C Coull (Meldrum House) (am) 81 73, D Laing (Craigielaw) 80 74
155 Michele Thomson (Ellon) 78 77
156 C Campbell (Trump International) 79 77, G Oxton (Roxburghe) 81 75
159 J Stephen (Aberdour) 82 77 
168  M Mackenzie (Edzell) 85 83
No Return - N Huguet (Musselburgh) 74 NR
Disqualified - C Knowles (Panmure)