DUKE OF YORK YOUNG CHAMPIONS' TOURNAMENT

              Murray Naysmith ... an eventful day. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

EWEN FERGUSON POISED TO MAKE 

CHALLENGE AT BALGOWNIE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
There's never been a Scottish winner since the Duke of York Young Champions'  54-hole golf tournament started in 2001 - but Bearsden's Ewen Ferguson is poised to put an end to that over the next two days at Royal Aberdeen's classic Balgownie links.
Ferguson, British boys champion last year and winner of both the Scottish U18 boys' stroke and match-play titles, posted a one-over-par 70 in today's opening round in calm conditions.
He is one of four players sharing second place, breathing down the neck of leader Gisli Sveinbergsson from Iceland, who had a 69.
Murray Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy) is joint 15th on 74 while Calum Fyfe (Cawder) is sharing 22nd place.
There are no Scottish girls in the field. Ferguson could hardly have been steadier. He had 17 pars and one birdie, achieved at the par-3 17th.

"The course was there for the taking, I could have shot a really low score but I'm sure everyone was thinking that today," said Ferguson, who plays off plus three. "That said it's still a very tight course and if you hit it offline you will be punished."

"I stayed patient and didn't try to force anything. Thankfully a birdie eventually dropped at the 17^th where I hit a five-iron into six feet and poured in the birdie putt."

 Naysmith had an eventful afternoon. He played from the wrong tee on the fifth (the club's white tees instead of the tournament tees), which resulted in a two shot penalty and double bogey. The 17-year-old also ran up a triple-bogey seven at the 14^th and his tee shot at the 18^th found bushes on the right.

"Overall, I'm not too disappointed because I was one-under for 15 holes and just had three bad holes," said Naysmith. "I struck the ball really well; it was an eventful day and there is always tomorrow."

In all, nine players in the 54-player field managed to match par or better but Sveinbergsson's effort stood out as the only sub-70 round of the day.

ends