WELSHMAN HAPGOOD HAS FIVE-SHOT
LEAD IN BATTLE TROPHY AT CRAIL
Bernie McGuire reports from Crail
Welshman Jake Hapgood again showed his fondness for Scottish golf in muscling his way to a five-shot lead after the opening two rounds of the 21st anniversary Battle Trophy at Crail Golfing Society.
Hapgood, 22 celebrated snatching two eagles and five birdies in an opening round of seven-under par 65 on Saturday morning and then dug deep to sign for one-under par 71 in the tougher afternoon conditions on the Craighead Links course at golf’s seventh oldest club.
The Welsh Team member eagled the par-5 first in hitting driver, 4-iron to 20-feet and holing the putt while at the par-5 15th Hapgood hit a driver, 7-iron to 12-feet and also rolled-in the eagle putt.
The Southerndown Golf Club-attached Hapgood highlighted his second round with five birdies but lost a little gloss from his round with a double-bogey at the short par-3 13th.
“I played really solid in the morning and also managed a few lucky breaks though that’s the first time I can remember having two eagles in a round,” he said.
“As for this afternoon’s round, the course played a lot tougher with the wind getting-up while it got a bit colder making clubbing a bit difficult.
“The thing is also that it’s hard to go out after a low score and try and back it up, and to be honest I was just expecting to shoot level par.
“So, there was a little pressure on my shoulders this afternoon after shooting the 65 and especially after I had bogeyed 18 this morning.”
It is Hapgood’s first visit to the Battle Trophy but he says the nine-hour drive north from his Welsh residence has so far been worth the trip.
“I could have played in two events in England but the quality of the field is so strong here at Crail and I had heard very good things about the Battle Trophy so that’s why I’m here,” he said.
“I seem to do well in Scotland and I was thinking that when I drove-up on Thursday, and it took about nine-hours, how much I do like playing golf in Scotland.
“In the four times I’ve played in Scotland I’ve missed only one cut while I finished seventh in last year’s Scottish Stroke-Play and just outside the top-20 in the St. Andrews Links Trophy.
“The thing is also I have played a lot of golf in recent months including contesting the Australian Amateur and many other events, so I really have not had a season off.”
Hapgood added the best of his new year results has been three top-10s in pro events in Spain while last week he contested the Euro Nations Trophy in Sotogrande and finished 11th individually while his Wales team was fourth.
Glaswegian George Burns fought back from a second round opening double-bogey to add a 71 to his earlier score of 69 and move to second place with a one-under par 36-hole 140 tally.
Fellow Scot James White (70 and 71) of Leven and Peebles' Darren Howie (70 and 71) are tied in third place on 141.
And reigning Scottish Amateur champion Euan McIntosh is just inside the top-10 with scores of 69 and 75 for a level par two-round total.
The limit 36 hole total to survive the cut was 152 and better
Par 144 (2x72) SSS 74 CSS 74 74
Labels: BATTLE TROPHY
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Saturday, April 20, 2019
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