You can't afford to stand still in this game.
On a day of low-scoring, those plootering about around the par mark were trampled over on day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Amid the birdie blitz, Scott Jamieson, pictured, got himself in on the act but even a seven-under 65 over the Old Course was only good enough to lift him into a share of 35th place with an eight-under 136. "It's a funny event and you only find out what's good once everybody has played all three courses," said Jamieson, who still has to negotiate the perils of Carnoustie in round three today.
It's been a topsy-turvy kind of year for the Glasgow man. Having started the campaign with a win, a third and second in his opening three events in South Africa, Jamieson went off the boil in the peak season but the former Scottish Boys' Strokeplay champion is confident he can finish it with a flourish. A tidy seven-birdie round, illuminated by a putt of some 40 feet on the second, was another encouraging sign.
"I've actually been playing very well over the past month or so but have not been getting as much out of the rounds as I felt I should have," confessed the Scot, who returns to the team theatre next week when he lines up in Sam Torrance's GB&I side for the Seve Trophy in Paris. "Last week in the Italian Open I made enough birdies to win the tournament but for some reason I couldn't play the last four holes there.
"It can be frustrating when you feel you're playing well and not getting the scores but I'm hopeful that there's some good stuff on the horizon."
Jamieson was joined on the eight-under mark by Marc Warren, who profited from a "mad run" at Carnoustie on his outward half which laid the foundations for an impressive six-under 66.
After an early bogey on the second, the double European Tour champion set about repairing the damage with purpose and reeled off five straight birdies from the fourth. With Carnoustie out of the way, Warren became mischievous.
"I wouldn't mind now if the wind starts to blow to be cruel on the guys who have still to play it," he joked. Next up for Warren is the links of Kingsbarns. "Historically, I've never scored low round there so I guess it's about time to put that right," he added.
Chris Doak packed five birdies and an eagle into an eventful 67 at Kingsbarns to finish just a shot behind Warren and Jamieson on 137. Richie Ramsay sits on a five-under aggregate while Paul Lawrie, the Dunhill Links champion in 2001, is down in a share of 92nd on a 141 after a four-under 68 at Kingsbarns. He'll have to get moving today.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article