A Barassie amateur making an impression at the Scottish Open?

That certainly rings a bell. At 6' 8", the towering figure of Gordon Sherry was walking tall at Carnoustie in 1995 when he finished fourth in the domestic showpiece behind Wayne Riley, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie.

You could probably fit the slender frame of Jack McDonald into Sherry's breast pocket but, as they say, guid things come in sma' bulk. This latest golfer to roll off the Barassie production line may not have the colossal physical presence of his celebrated club- mate, but the 19-year-old has grown in stature this week. With Marc Warren, Martin Laird and Peter Whiteford spearheading the tartan army's assault on the leaderboard, the general feelgood factor was bolstered by McDonald further down the field.

Yesterday, when the morning conditions for the early starters were inviting, the Moray Firth shimmered in the welcome bursts of sunshine and the Highland links venue was showcased in all its enchanting majesty until the odd shower arrived later in the day. McDonald, the only member of the unpaid ranks left in these latter stages, sparkled on this grand stage. The last amateur to play all four rounds was Edoardo Molinari in 2006, four years before the Italian came back to win the title as a pro at Loch Lomond. The last Scot to complete the 72 holes was Barry Hume a decade ago.

Castle Stuart has been something of a theatre of dreams for McDonald and his amateur dramatics have certainly caught the eye. In the final act of his second round on Friday night, the Ayrshireman, needing a birdie on the par-5 18th to make the four-under cut mark, conjured an uplifting late show and chipped in from some 20 yards off the side of the green for a four to confirm his place in the draw for the closing 36 holes.

"The way he made it was ridiculous," said his mentor and caddie Dean Robertson, the former Italian Open champion who is the golf coach at the University of Stirling, where McDonald is a student. "I was contemplating a miserable drive back down the A9."

Instead of that early exit, McDonald, a semi-finalist in last month's Amateur Championship, has kept motoring on in the right direction. His four-under 68 yesterday hoisted him on to an eight-under aggregate of 208. A quick glance at the leaderboard would have left the former Scottish Boys' Strokeplay champion rather chuffed with himself. Alongside him was the name of Ernie Els, the 2002 Open champion and a two-time winner of the Scottish Open. Three shots behind him lagged European Ryder Cup skipper and double Major champion Jose Maria Olazabal.

Guided by the considered, calming promptings of Robertson, McDonald played with the freedom and adventure of a young man with nothing to lose and everything to gain from this first taste of life among the big boys. A five-footer for birdie on the first was swiftly followed by a two-footer for another gain on the second. When he trundled in a raking putt of 30 feet on the sixth the momentum gathered pace.

This youthful exuberance was tempered somewhat when he failed to get up and down on the seventh but it was only a minor setback and the Scot birdied the 11th before finishing with a flourish and a four on the par-5 18th.

"Chipping in at the last on Friday to make the cut got the adrenalin going and it was a struggle to get to sleep, but I've stayed composed and just plodded on," confessed the applied maths degree student after another day when he got his numbers right.

"It's been quite a surreal experience for him," added Robertson. "Friday was a roller coaster. To play on the cut line of a Tour event means you go through the same emotions as winning a Tour event. Even if he had missed the cut it would still have been a brilliant experience but to make it and now enjoy the weekend will strengthen the belief he has in himself."

With McDonald making the most of his opportunity to flourish and Warren, Laird and Whiteford keeping the saltire flying in the upper echelons, Stephen Gallacher completed a decent day on all fronts for the Scots by hurtling up the field.

Like McDonald, the former European Tour winner had birdied his final hole on Friday to make the cut with nothing to spare and he was quickly on the offensive yesterday with a determined 65 that was concluded with a birdie putt of 20 feet on the last.

Gallacher, who hauled himself to the fringes of the top 10 with an 11-under 205, has already tasted success on home soil with his solitary Tour triumph coming at St Andrews in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship of 2004.

The 37-year-old would dearly love to bridge that title gap here and the added incentive of a place in The Open, which could be his if he manages a top-five finish, will continue to drive him onwards and upwards.

"I felt there was a 64 or a 65 in there as my game has been close to clicking and it's nice to prove myself right," he said. "The target was the top five and The Open at the start of the week. Another 65 and I might just have a chance."