Hutcheon and McCreadie share lead 

at testing Carnegie Club links

The Carnegie Club links at Skibo Castle is one of the tougher tracks faced by Tartan Tour pros during the season and it lived up to his reputation again today when Greig Hutcheon and Jason McCreadie shared the halfway lead with one-under-par 70s at the Sutherland venure.
The early holes can wreck a card and Hutcheon bogeyed the first and fourth as well as the short eighth and later the 10th. But the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre man compensated for these slips by birdieing the long third, sht short sixth and the seventh in an outward 35 (one under par).
But it was an eagle 2 at the 17th that lifted Hutch to a share of the pole position in this luctrative 36-hole event in which the field is rrestricted to 18 competitors.
McCreadie also dropped a short early, at the long third, but a 2 at the short 16th saw him turn in level par 35. He birdfied the 11th, 12th and long 18th on the way home but dropped shots at tyhe short 15th and 17th cost him the outright lead.
Five players share third place on 71 - Graham Fox (34-37), Alastair Forsyth (35-36), Ronan Rafferty (35-37), Scott Henderson (34-37) and Neil Fenwick (37-34).
Forsyth dropped two shots early in his round, at the second and third.
Henderson bogeyed the 13th, 15th and 16th but staged a grandstand finish to stay in the mix by birdieing the 17th and 18th.
Fenwick had four bogeys over his first 10 holes but, like Henderson, the Dunbar man finished strongly, birdieing the 14th, 16th and 18th.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 71
70 G Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie GC), J McCreadie (Largs)
71 G Fox (Clydeway Golf), A Forsyth (Mearns Castle), R Rafferty (Monte Rei), S Henderson (Kings Links), N Fenwick (Dunbar)
72 P McKechnie (Braid Hills), S Gray (Hayston).
73 G McBain (Paul Lawrie GC).
74 G Law (Uphall), C Ronald (Carluke)
75 S McAllister (McAllister Golf), A Tait (Marriott Dalmahoy)
76 D Thomson (Carnegie Club), D Reasoner (unatt), F Cromarty (Nairn)
78 K Hutton (Downfield).