BEARSDEN TEENAGER GRABS FIVE LATE BIRDIES

FERGUSON'S GRANDSTAND FINISH PUTS 

HIM IN THIRD PLACE IN SOUTH AFRICA

British boys' champion, Ewen Ferguson from Bearsden, shot a five-under-par 67 on a calm, warm day for the opening round of the South African men's open amateur stroke play championship at Benoni Country Club today (Tuesday).

Ferguson, pictured, will start the second round three shots behind the leader, 19-year-old South African No 1, Christian Bezuidenhold whose eight-under 64 saw him miss only two fairways and use only 26 putts.
Ulsterman Chris Selfridge, 21-year-old Belfast-born student at America's Toledo University, is in second place on 66.
Ferguson had a bogey in each half but staged a grandstand finish to claim five birdies over his closing holes for a 67.
“I have been working with my coach, Gregor Monks, on building a positive attitude and to avoid getting frustrated and impatient,” explained the 17-year-old member of the Scottish Golf Union’s National Squad.
“I was pretty frustrated with the putter over the first nine holes, because I had several lip-outs, but I managed to find the hole with much more accuracy on the back nine.”
Ferguson was backed up by team-mates Scott Gibson (68), Bradley Neil (70), Graeme Robertson (70), Jamie Savage (71) and Connor Syme (71).
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72. Players from South Africa unless stated
64 Christian Bezoidenhout
66 Chris Selfridge (Ire).
67 Ewen Ferguson (Sco).
68 Marco Steyn, Scott Gibson (Sco), Joel Girrback (Swi), Andrew Carlsson, Kyle McClatchie.
69 Dermot McElroy (Ire), Gary Hurley (Ire), Meyer Pauw, Stefan Cronje.
70 Malcolm Mitchell, Jason Viljoen, Kevin Smith, Bradley Neil (Sco), Graeme Robertson (Sco), Toby Tree (Eng), Zander Lombard.
71 Philip Kruse, Robbie Cannon (Ire), Geoff Lenahan (Ire), Jamie Savage (Sco), Kevin Rundle, N J Arnoldi, Vico Kuhn, Henri van der Walt, Connor Syme (Sco)
72 Altin van der Merwe, Carlo O’Reilly, Tristen Strydom, Henri van Waart.

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