Play-off drama ends Day 2 students' action at Lossie

By BEN PHILIP
STUDENT SPORT ORGANISER

There was a dramatic finish to Day 2 of the 95th Scottish Student Golf Championships at Moray Golf Club's two Lossiemouth links courses  as the fields in the men's and women's competitions tried  to make the 36 hole cut.

 

In the long shadows of a glorious Lossie sunset, six of the male contestants on 152 - representing five different Universities - battled it out in a sudden death play-off for two final slots in the draw for Tuesday's final two rounds..

 

The first and only play-off hole (1st hole, New Course) provided a wee bit of everything, much to the delight of the 100-strong crowd - provisional balls, a free drop, a run back up the fairway after a lost ball, and more. 

 

After a good deal of adventure and misadventure par proved to be good enough for Jamie Stoddart (St Andrews) and Andrew Benson (Strathclyde) to earn their place in the final day's draw at 8am.

 

Some hours before, Englishman Laird Shepherd (Stirling) from Sussex, winner of the Irish Under-17 boys' open title in 2014, had grabbed five birdies on the way to a very impressive 66 over the New Course, the day's best round. This allowed him to sprint clear at the top of the leaderboard on seven-under-par 133, five shots clear of Stirling team mate Chris Maclean, who carded a 68 despite some difficulties on the greens.

 

Matthew Myers (St Andrews) and Rob Paterson (Aberdeen) continued their good form and each carded a 71 to finish the day in a tie for third on 139 (-1). Only for men under par at the halfway stage.

 

Meanwhile there was another impressive array of red numbers in the Women's competition as a small but very capable field continued their tournament with 18 holes on the New Course.

 

Best round of the day came from St Andrews' Dutch starlet Lieve Van Veggel, who absorbed a double and a triple bogey and still posted an impressive 70 (-1), thanks to six birdies, including three in a row from the 12th. This helped to move her into fourth place overnight at 145, only three off the pace with 36 holes to go and very much in the hunt.

 

The top three remain unchanged from day one in the shape of two- time defending champion Gemma Batty (Stirling) and team-mate Sinead Sexton, an Ireland international player,  who each had level par rounds of 71 to finish the day at 142 (-4), and St Andrews' Alexa Hammer who posted her second successive 72 to close on -2. 

 

The strokeplay section of the tournament concludes Tuesday with 36 holes on the Old course for the remaining field of 42 men and 9 women. All support is welcome at the club, with the promise of some excellent golf and the hope of continuing good weather. A long day's play is expected to finish at around 7.30 pm, to be followed by the prize giving in the clubhouse

95TH SCOTTISH STUDENTS' CHAMPIONSHIP

Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth.

SECOND-ROUND SCORES

MEN

New Course (par 140: 2x70)

133 L Shepherd (Stirling) 67 66.

138 C MacLean (Stirling) 70 68.

139 R Paterson (Aberdeen) 68 71, M Myers (St Andrews) 68 71.

141 J Sundborg (Stirling) 73 68, J Wilson (Stirling) 72 69, C Low (Abertay Dundee) 72 69, R Cellerindo (UHI) 67 74.

142 B Bojesen (St Andrews) 71 71.

143 P Kerr (St Andrews) 71 72, R Foley (Stirling) 70 73.

144 C Franssen (St Andrews) 72 72, L Anderson (St Andrews) 73 71, J Harling (UHI) 71 73,T Hein (St Andrews) 71 73, M Napier (Stirling) 73 71.

146 S Macgregor (St Andrews) 75 71, A Davidson (Stirling) 74 72, C Edgar (Stirling) 75 71.

147 G Joss (Aberdeen) 71 76, M McGrory (Abertay Dundee) 74 73, N Young (RGU) 73 74 W Walker (Stirling) 76 71.

148 K McCormick (UHI) 74 74, F Asher (St Andrews) 73 75, M Fitzsimmons (Stirling) 70 78, J Parker (Stirling) 77 71, L West (RGU) 74 74, J Rogan (St Andrews) 74 74.

149 A McDougall (Stirling) 78 71, R Asher (Strathclyde) 72 77 M Horvath (St Andrews) 74 75, B Bannerman (Glasgow) 74 75, G Minton (UHI) 77 72.

150 D McIntosh (Aberdeen) 74 75,  E Innes (St Andrews) 77 73.

151 R Finlay (Strathclyde( 76 75, L Freean (St Andrews) 76 75, P Hasson (Glasgow) 80 71, M Schinkell (UHI) 77 74.
152 A Benson (Strathclyde) 75 77, J Stoddart (St Andrews) 80 72 (after sudden-death play-off).
MISSED THE CUT

152 (after play-off) M Boddie (Aberdeeen) 78 74, E Hart (Stirling) 73 79, A Webber (Dundee) 78 74, J Keating (Aberdeen) 76 76.

153 A McNaughton (UHI) 78 75, S Russell (Napier) 77 76, V Huelin (Stirling) 75 78, A Wallace (Stirling) 74 79, M Henderson (Glasgow) 78 75.

154 L Black (Stirling) 81 73, B Plaxton (Stirling) 81 73.

155 J Bissett (Aberdeen) 79 76, R Johnston (Strathclyde) 72 83, J Grant (Strathclyde) 76 79, S Goodman (RGU) 82 73.

156 C Hansen (St Andrews) 77 79,J Malone (Stirling) 82 74, M Stuart (Stirling) 77 79, D Griffiths (Dundee) 77 79.

157 A Mulholland (Aberdeen) 83 74 N Phelan (UHI) 79 78, D Fairs (Strathclyde) 78 79, J Forgan (Stirling) 78 79, C Connacher
(Strathclyde) 74 83.

158 K Brown (UHI) 79 79.

159 E Farquharson (Napier) 81 78, D Morris (Stirling) 79 80. 

160 P Delaney (Glasgow) 79 81.

161 R Kane (RGU) 79 86, B Davies (Glasgow) 79 82, C Rankin (Dundee) 84 77.

162 A Craig (Dundee) 84 78, E Cleary (Stirling) 78 84, R Marchbank (Napier) 81 81.

163 E Alexander (RGU) 86 77, A McGinlay (Strathclyde) 76 87, D McGreevy (Glasgow) 83 80, F Craig (Dundee) 85 78.

164 A McKenzie (Stirling) 77 87, E Grant (RGU) 81 83, D Johnston (Glasgow) 86 78, B Stuart (Abertay Dundee) 85 79, A Johnston (Glasgow) 79 85, M McAnaw (Glasgow) 83 81.

165 R Winning (Glasgow) 83 82.

166 G Antonucci (UHI) 82 84, C Morrison (RGU) 83 83, R Johnston (Stirling) 79 87, C Paterson (UHI) 78 88.

167 D Cuthbertson (Dundee) 85 82.

168 T Foster (Stirling) 75 93, J Bancroft (Napier) 80 88, S McKenna (Glasgow) 83 85. 

169 F Bannon(Stirling) 84 85, D Harper (Abertay Dundee) 78 91.

170 S Young (Abertay Dundee) 82 88.

171 D Forbes (Glasgow) 86 85.

172 C Gill (Glasgow) 90 82.

173 S McFarlane (Dundee) 88 85, J Gibson (Abertay Dundee) 81 92.

175 S Ross (Napier) 91 84.

M Scott (RGU) 86 91.

179 J Fleming (Napier) 90 89.

180 A Kovenklioglu (St Andrews) 94 86.

182 G Kinnear (RGU) 98 84.

184 N Savoy (RGU) 85 99.

185 D Hunter (Napier) 91 94.

WOMEN

Par 146: Old Course 75, New Course 71

142 G Batty (Stirling) 71 72, S Sexton (Stirling) 71 71

144 A Hammer (St Andrews) 72 72

145 L Van Veggel (St Andrews) 75 70.

148 T Mactaggart (Stirling) 74 74.

150 J Saxton (Stirling) 73 77.

156 N Greville (Stirling) 85 71, F Clark (St Andrews) 77 79.

157 C Boa (UHI) 77 80

 MISSED THE CUT

158 K Reid (Abertay Dundee) 82 76.

162 C Boyes (Stirling) 87 75.

167 I Josefiak (St Andrews) 84 83.

170 C Calvert (St Andrews) 90 80.

182 O Chabert (Glasgow) 97 85.