SCOTTISH CHAMPION CULVERWELL MISSES CUT AT SEATON CAREW

DANIEL YOUNG'S PURPLE PATCH 

HOISTS HIM INTO BRABAZON 3rd

Perth player Daniel Young (Craigie Hill), pictured, bounced back from a double bogey 7 at the second hole and a bogey four at the short sixth to finish the day in third place at the halfway stage of  the English amateur stroke-play championship for the Brabazon Trophy at Seaton Carew, Hartlepool in County Durham.

Young, who played on the US college circuit for four years as a Lynn University, Florida student,  birdied the seventh, eighth and ninth, had an eagle 3 at the 11th and then a birdie at the 12th.

A pair of 70s for a six-under-par tally of 140 over this par-73 links course has the former Cameron Corbett Vase winner  three shots behind the joint leaders, Englishmen Ben Stow (69-68) and Ryan Evans (71-66) on 137.

Scott Gibson (Southerness) is not far behind on 141 with scores of 72-69.

At the other end of the field, Scottish champion Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar), Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs)  and Callum Hill (Tantallon) missed the cut. 
Culverwell shot 82-74 for 156 - 11 shots too many. Hill had scores of 74 and 75 for 149 and Stevenson 79-76 for 155

LEADING SECOND-ROUND SCORES

Par 146 (2x73)

137 B Stow (Rushmore) 69 68, Ryan Evans (Wellingborough) 71 66

140 D Young (Craigie Hill) 70 70

141 S Grehan (Tullamore) 72 69, S Gibson (Southerness) 72 69, G Moynihan (The Island) 71 70, Seb Crookall-Nixon (Workington) 69 72, A Chesters (Hawkstone Park) 70 71

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES

143 C Ross (Kirkhill) 73 70 (T14)

145 G Marchbank (Thornhill) 73 72 (T27)

146 S Borrowman (Dollar) 72 71, A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 70 76, E Ferguson (Bearsden) 72 74   (T37)

147 Conor Syme (Dumfries and Co) 76 71

MISSED THE CUT (147 and better qualified)

149 C Hill (Tantallon) 74 75

155 G Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 79 76

156 A Culverwell (Dunbar) 82 74

Issued 26th June 2014 Record man Evans and Stow set for    head-to-head shoot-out  The cream came to the top on day two of the Brabazon Trophy with England international colleagues Ben Stow and Ryan Evans sharing the halfway lead on nine-under-par 137, three shots clear of the rest of the field. When Stow returned 68 to go with his opening 69 it looked as if he would be out on his own. But Evans had other ideas and his bogey-free 66, seven under par, a record for the extended course, saw him catch his England team-mate. Evans (image copyright Leaderboard Photography) was out in 30, the best of the championship, with five birdies and collected two more coming home despite the course growing drier by the minute after a second day of sunshine.  “It’s what I should have done yesterday but I didn’t hole any putts,” said Evans. “I changed my putter last night and also changed my thought process. I was trying too hard and today I took it as a gentle game of golf. “If I like a course I usually play well and I like it here. It’s rewarding if you play well but punishes you if you don’t. But it is firming up so it will be interesting for the next couple of days.” Course management was also a key ingredient in Evans’ game. He only used his driver twice and relied mostly on his two-iron. “Position off the tee is the key,” he confirmed. Tomorrow he will be off last with Stow. “Ben is a good friend and colleague but tomorrow is all about business,” he added. Stow, back from college in the United States, had six birdies in his 68 including all four par fives and, in contrast to Evans, relied a lot on his driver. He also felt his game has benefitted from his American experience. “It’s definitely improved my long game,” he admitted. “If you don’t hit it straight over there you can’t score. It’s also improved my putting which enabled me to birdie all the par fives. “I played really solidly today. With the firmness of the greens, the emphasis was on wedge play and I hit it really close. But there was nothing spectacular. I’ve only had one bogey in 36 holes but I’ve used my length to advantage.” The England pair have a clear cushion over their rivals but with two rounds to play there is a lot of golf to be played. Their closest rival is Scotland’s Daniel Young, who fired a second successive 70. He was on the back foot after a double-bogey seven at the second but replied with an eagle and four birdies. More Celts are among those a further shot back with the Irish duo of Stuart Grehan and Gavin Moynihan and Scotland’s Scott Gibson on 141 along with Seb Crookall-Nixon, another member of the England squad cashing in on his American college experience. However, overnight leaders Ciaran Doherty, Tom Fox and Norway’s Sebastian Mork Andersen found conditions a little trickier but are still in the hunt as are two more England men on 142, Michael Saunders and Ashley Chesters, both with 70s. Another England man, Lancashire’s Paul Howard gave himself a mountain to climb after an opening 78 but he trimmed ten strokes off that to stay alive on 146. The cut came at 147, one over par, with exactly 60 players surviving. The importance of players checking their cards with their partners at the end of a competition round was underlined today when two were disqualified for signing for incorrect scores. Daniel Brown from Yorkshire signed for a three when he took four on the seventh in his round of 73, while Cheshire’s Marcus Mohr met the same fate after a par four appeared on his card instead of a five in his opening round of 71. Results, championship images and tournament news can be found on the Brabazon Trophy webpage.   Press Officer David Hamilton England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 01526 354500