TOP seed Grant Forrest survived a scare to book his place in the second round of the Fairstone Scottish Amateur Championship at Muirfield – but other notable names made an early exit yesterday.
Forrest, the Amateur Championship finalist at Carnoustie last month, recovered from two down after seven holes to see off Eyemouth’s Mark Collin 3&2, finally getting the better of his opponent and the weather on a dreich day in East Lothian.
The Craigielaw player, a member of Scotland’s victorious European Amateur Team Championship side, recovered from a lost ball on the first and said: “I didn’t hit a shot for the first seven holes and I was getting edgy, but I made pars after that to see it through.
“I played here in The Open in 2013 and it’s certainly different this week given the rain we’ve had. It was tough, I’ve maybe seen the rough higher but it’s thicker at the bottom in the wet.”
While Forrest progressed, there was no success for the eighth seed, Kirkhill’s Craig Ross, after he exited early at the hands of David Dickson (Bonnyton).
The 36-year-old joiner achieved his best ever win in the game after defeating Ross, a winner on the EuroPro circuit last season, 3&2. “I know how good a player he is and he’s a nice guy, so I just tried to keep with him and hang in there,” said Dickson, playing in his third Scottish Amateur.
Dickson also plays out of the Eastwood club and it was another Eastwood member who produced a surprise scoreline, after David Sibbald took the scalp of in-form teenager Sandy Scott.
The Nairn 17-year-old, named in Scotland’s Boys Home Internationals squad yesterday, lost out by 2 holes to the Deaconsbank greenkeeper. “I just wanted to play my game and then see what happened,” said Sibbald, 30, who was four up after five holes to leave Scott, with three wins to his name in 2015, with too much to do.
Anglo-Scot Sandy Twynholm, the former Muirfield amateur record holder, also progressed to the second round, while McDonald’s Adam Dunton defeated Calum Fyfe, last year’s Scottish Hydro Boys Order of Merit winner.
Drumoig’s Connor Syme, like Forrest a European Amateur Team winner in Sweden earlier this month, came through by two holes in a local Fife battle with Alan Sutherland from Cupar.
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