THREE SCOTS IN SATURDAY MORNING QUARTER-FINALS AT ROYAL PORTRUSH

SAVAGE,  NEIL AND SYME IN LAST

EIGHT OF BRITISH AMATEUR

Cawder's Jamie Savage, Bradey Neil (Blairgowrie) and Connor Syme (Dumfries and County)  are through to the quarter-finals of the British amateur championship at Royal Portrush.

In the third round, Neil beat Chris Robb (Meldrum House) by 3 and 1.James Ross (Royal Burgess) lost at the 19th in his third-round tie

FOURTH ROUND RESULTS
D Brown bt R Pugh 3 and 2.
S Towndrow bt T Tree 2 holes
P Howard bt C Sharvin 4 and 3
Z Lombard bt A Chapman 1 hole.
J Savage bt M Eggenberger 2 holes
B Neil bt L Bem 2 and 1.

H Magnus bt P Kinnear 2 and 1.
C Syme bt R Dawson 1 hole.

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SUMMARY OF THE FRIDAY PLAY AT ROYAL PORTRUSH

NEWS RELEASE FROM RandA
 England’s Paul Howard and Sean Towndrow led the way into the Quarter-Finals of the 119th Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush today.

Howard and Towndrow are both members at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club in Merseyside and booked their places in the last eight with impressive victories. 

Howard defeated local player and R&A Scholar Cormac Sharvin, a Stirling student, while Towndrow overcame strong English opponent Toby Tree.

Sharvin enjoyed a strong local following cheering him on as a member of Ardglass Golf Club in nearby County Down but Howard showed his character to take an early lead in the match. 

The 23-year-old went two up after four holes, but bogeys at the sixth and seventh saw his lead wiped out. He pulled ahead again at the par-4, eighth hole when Sharvin bogeyed the hole. Then Howard stepped up the pressure. The plus 5 handicapper birdied the 10^th, 11^th and 14^th holes to take an unassailable four-hole lead.

“It’s the best I have played all week,” Howard said. “Today was the most confident I have been on the golf course. The shot that got me going was a 7-iron to two feet at the 10^th to go two up.”

Howard hit another 7-iron into the 11^th and holed a 25-foot birdie putt. At the par-3, 14^th hole, he hit a high 4-iron to 15 feet and holed that putt too. A half at the next saw him win 4 and 3.

Towndrow also went ahead early against Tree and was feeling in control of the match. “I was two up after five holes and that gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.

Tree reduced the arrears when Towndrow stepped on his ball on the 10^th hole to incur a one-shot penalty and lose the hole. Towndrow lost the 11^th when Tree birdied but he hit straight back when he hit a 60-yard lob wedge to eight feet at the 15^th and holed the birdie putt. Pars on the next two holes gave him a 2 and 1 victory. 

Daniel Brown is still on track to double up as leading qualifier and Amateur Champion. Brown overcame two-time Walker Cup player Rhys Pugh 3 and 2 to earn a spot in the last eight. 

The 19-year-old dropped four straight shots from the sixth hole but still found himself three up through that stretch.

“It was a scrappy match,” Brown admitted. “My ball striking hasn’t been as good over the last two days as it was in the qualifying so that’s something I need to sort out. My putting inside 10 feet has been a lot better though. I holed a lot of putts inside 10 feet to keep the pressure on him.”

In the later matches Scotland’s Bradley Neil defeated Frenchman Leonard Bem 2 and 1 and Neil’s fellow Scot Jamie Savage eliminated Switzerland's Mathias Eggenberger, a Stirling student, by a 3 and 1 margin.

For the latest results and Quarter-Final draw please visit championships.randa.org