Calum Fyfe sets Newmachar Hawkshill 

record of eight-under 64

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Kirkintilloch's Calum Fyfe (Cawder) set a Newmachar Hawkshill course record off the black tees of eight-under-par 64 today to lead the field of 96 by two strokes from Euan McIntosh (Turnhouse) at the end of the first of two qualifying rounds to decide the eight teams who will qualify for the weekend's match-play stages at the GolfKings Scottish men's area team championship.
Fyfe had only 23 putts in halves of 34 (two under par) and 30 (six under), finishing his record-setting round in great style with an eagle 3 at the 16th, where he holed a 30ft putt and birdies at the 17th and 18th, at both of which he holed from roughly 15 to 20ft.
"I scored a 64 at Western Gailes earlier this year," said 20-year-old Calum who is delaying turning pro until the 2019 Walker Cup match in the United Kingdom in the hope that he will make that GB and I team. 
The old Hawkshill record was a 65 off the white tees which is not quite so long a course as off the black tees.
Calum's scorecard read:
OUT: 4-4-3 4-3-3 3-4-5: 34
   IN:  3-4-4 3-4-3 3-3-3: 30
The uncatchable leader of this season's Scottish Golf Order of Merit, Fyfe gained useful knowledge of the Hawkshill course when he finished third in the recent North-east District Open.
"My short game was very good today. When I missed a green I was able to get up and down," he said.
Fyfe, the highest rated player in the field with a handicap of +4.7,  had seven birdies (the second, third, fifth, 10th, 13th, 17th and 18th) and the eagle at 16th. He did have one bogey, at the short ninth, the only time where he did not manage to save par after missing the green.
Fyfe was in the last group to complete their Hawkshill rounds so
48-year-old Euan McIntosh was the long time leader there with a 66 (31-35).
He birdied the second, third, fifth, seventh, eighth and 18th in a bogey-free round.
"I last played Newmachar in the 1994 Scottish assistants professional championship won by Scott Henderson," said McIntosh who did not return from Germany until 2016 after 20-odd years there as a professional.
"Putting was the key to my score this morning. In my opinion, the Hawkshill greens are the finest I have putted on anywhere all season."
The players switch courses for their afternoon rounds so that they play their 36 holes over Hawkshill AND Swailend.
Lothians, 13 times winners of the Scottish area team championship, look likely to be the top seeds for the match-play.

LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
HAWKSHILL
par 72
64 C Fyfe (Cawder).
66 E McIntosh (Turnhouse)
68 M Clark (Kilmacolm)
69 S Fairburn (Torwoodlee), K Cantley (Liberton).
71 F Fotheringham (Nairn) C Hamilton (Ballochmyle).
72 I MacCalman (Clober).
73 C Lamb (Newmachar), D Buchanan (Falkirk Tryst), B Edmond (Bon Accord), D Dougan (Drumpellier), A Farmer (Kilmacolm).
74 E Farquharson (Auchterarder), M Hislop (Glenbervie), S Michie (Kinross), A Carrick (Douglas Park), S Rennie (Drumpellier), B McKenna (Pollok), D Lamont (Machrihanish Dunes), N Hamilton (Dumfries and Galloway), J Shanks (Irvine), K Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle), C Donaldson (Downfield), S Stewart (Clydebank and Dist).

SWAILEND
par 72
67 S Blair (Royal Musselburgh).
68 B McLeod (Musselburgh).
69 D Simpson (Crieff), A Dunton (McDonald Ellon), F Carr (Crail GS), A Fairbairn (Cawder).
70 S McLaren (Bruntsfield Links), T White (Kinross), L Irvine (Kirkhill), J Shaw (Boat of Garten), S Watt (Old Ranfurly).
71 A Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), E Wood (Crow Wood), J Broun (Ayr Belleisle), N McConnachie (Balmore), C Mundie (Glenbervie).
72 P Teviotdale (Arbroath Artisans), P McVie (Selkirk), S McKendrick (Dunkeld and Birnam), C Pirie (Millport).
73 S Roger (Cruden Bay), J Forbes (Inverness), G Yates (Colville Park), C McKirdy (Ballochmyle), R Brown (Dunfermline), D Sibbald (Bonnyton), A Birdsall (Dumfries and Co).
74 A Smith (Edzell), D Anderson (Lochwinnoch), A Hain (St Andrews), P Johnson (Hawick), G Reynolds (Rothesay), B Graham (Stranraer), T Beattie (Grangemouth).