Paul Lawrie plans to be in the air on his way to China when the Scottish Boys’ Championship final is due to be played on Saturday, but he wouldn’t particularly mind a last-minute reschedule.
The former Open champion’s younger son Michael is playing for the fourth time in the championship and given that Dad watches every shot just as he did through four years with elder son Craig he’ll happily reconsider if Michael lasts the whole week at Dunbar.
“I’ll be changing the flight to Sunday if it happens,” he said. “It’s early days yet, but he’s playing lovely at the moment.”
Still only 16, and now off a handicap of one, Michael first played in the championship off the ballot at Murcar three years ago, and has reached the third round in all three of his previous attempts. Yesterday was his most impressive performance yet, a 6 and 4 crushing of Eastwood’s aptly-named Andrew Crusher.
However, his ambition is simply to go further than in previous years, given the strength of field where there are 24 players off scratch or better.
With fine warm sunshine and the wind at his back, Michael was four-under for the front nine, finishing about one-under for the 14 holes when he turned back into the wind, but his father continues to be impressed.
“He’s got bigger and more mature, and it’s amazing to think this is his fourth championship,” said Lawrie. “He played the first time at Murcar just a day after we got back from the Masters that year and he probably shouldn’t have played at all.”
Michael had already bagged a career highlight on Monday, choosing to play a round at Gullane No 1 for practice with his father watching nursing a back twinge and a slight chest infection and getting his first career hole-in-one on the short 13th of the Scottish Open course.
“That’s given me a lot of confidence, and I’m feeling good about my game at the moment,” he said. “I would really love to go further into the championship and test myself.”
Lawrie’s fellow Aberdonian Richie Ramsay was at Dunbar yesterday as well, fresh from his Trophee Hassan II win in Morocco and reliving his time in the championship, his best being a semi-final back in 2001 on his home course at Royal Aberdeen.
It was a day for early finishes, manna from heaven for Scottish Golf Union officials as they were able to catch up on nearly four hours lost to fog on Monday morning, with the elite players delivering quick kills.
Murray Naysmith, the second seed from Dalmahoy, was six-up after just seven holes against Newmachar’s Cameron McArthur and sailed on to a 7 and 6 victory.
Just as impressive was 15-year-old Alex Simpson from Strathmore, who even at a three handicap has attracted the interest of a number of observers within the national set-up. He romped away to a 7 and 6 win over Callum Elliot (Whitecraigs) while Brad Bannerman from the club near Alyth also won through in his first round tie, although he went to the 17th before beating Jack Savage, the younger brother of the Scotland amateur international Jamie in the first round.
Fife’s top contender is probably Dunfermline’s Ryan Brown but he won’t launch his championship bid proper until as late as this afternoon, having got a bye in the first round to meet Lewis Black from Bruntsfield Links.
Other winners in the first round from the Kingdom included Greg Cessford from Lundin, Marcus Rickard (Cupar), and the New Club’s Keith Bowman.
Favourite and first seed Calum Fyfe, who had never before got beyond the second round in three attempts, jumped that hurdle at last but not altogether comfortably with a 2 and 1 victory over Lockerbie’s Christopher Finnie in one of the first second round ties to be completed.