Dalmahoy

WILLIAM Guy went to the same public school, Strathallan, as Colin

Montgomerie but since they left that seat of learning their golfing

fortunes could not have followed more divergent paths -- Guy struggling

to make his way in the game, Montgomerie, three times a millionaire on

European tournament earnings alone.

Yesterday, in the first round of the Tartan Special Scottish

Professional championship at Dalmahoy, Guy's 69 left him tied with

Andrew Oldcorn only a stroke behind the leader, Russell Weir, and raised

his hopes of cutting a reasonable slice of the #65,000 prize fund.

Until this week from five other outings, the 27-year-old Buchanan

Castle professional had won only #1800 -- and that for finishing sixth

in the Kenya Open.

Guy was even deprived of #5 of that recently in Las Palmas, where he

was threatened and robbed by a knife-wielding mugger who also struck him

in the left eye. Guy feared his sight might have been permanently

impaired but a subsequent examination found, to his relief, that no

serious damage had been inflicted.

''I'm trying to qualify for the main Tour through the Challenge Tour,

after missing out for my card in a play-off in last autumn's school, and

that costs about #1000 a week,'' Guy explained, although he does have

financial support from a Southport businessman he met while playing in a

pro-am.

Guy completed a good morning's work with a birdie at the 480-yard

ninth, the sixth of his round, although he had to hole a second putt of

six feet after he had reached the green with a No.3 wood shot into the

hailstorm which had cost him bogeys at the two previous holes.

Weir has won everything on the Tartan Tour worth winning except this

championship, the flagship event, but the 43-year-old Dunoon

professional made a possible move towards improving on two runner-up

finishes with his 68, four under par. Weir, playing the outward half

last in a testing westerly wind which blew the occasional rain squall

over the 6677-yard West course, finished with two of five birdies.

First, he chipped in from 15 yards after his approach had spun off the

eighth green and then having hit a No.2 iron to 10 feet left the eagle

putt hovering on the hole's rim.

Whereupon Weir, feeling his legs tired and anxious to put his feet up,

immediately left to catch a ferry home. ''I'm overweight and old,'' he

reflected wryly over his car phone. ''It's not for want of trying I

haven't won this title -- indeed, perhaps I've tried too hard and so put

too much pressure on myself.''

Oldcorn, a very late starter, had the worst of the weather, but wetter

and even colder than before in a wind from the most difficult direction.

The course may not be as unforgiving as St Mellion, where Oldcorn on

Sunday finished equal fourth, but the conditions were more unpleasant

and he was satisfied with this start.

Rather as Adam Hunter had summed up his 72 so Oldcorn did his score:

''It was a better working round than a ball-striking one.'' Ultimately

the glue that held his score together was formed by the four substantial

single putts he made in five holes from the thirteenth, two each for

pars at birdies.

The ninth proved even more valuable for the holder, Andrew Coltart. He

was ''playing along very averagely'' when from a downhill lie he struck

a No.4 iron shot of 199 yards to within 25 feet for an eagle 3 and a 70,

so that he played the three par-5s -- the adjoining first and tenth both

uphill but down wind -- in four under.

Among the others on 70 was Alan Tait who played alongside Coltart. He

complained of inconsistent putting from genuine holing-out range, but

Tait, aged 26, who has set three course records -- Carnoustie (64), The

Queen's at Gleneagles Hotel (63), and Buchanan Castle (62) -- had single

putts for four of his five gains.

68 -- R Weir (Cowal).

69 -- W Guy (Buchanan Castle), A Oldcorn (Dalmahoy Hotel).

70 -- A Coltart (Thornhill), A Tait (Cawder), K Campbell

(Machrihanish), D McKay (Ladybank), D Thomson (Kings Links), B Marchbank

(Marchbank Golf Enterprises).

71 -- L Vannet (Carnoustie), A Crerar (Downfield), S Harrier (Craigie

Hill), I Collins (Stirling) S MacPherson (Felixstowe Ferry), S Syme

(Glenrothes), I Young (Braid Hills), J Greaves (Glasgow), S Martin

(North Engineering), C Innes (Golfanlage Schloss), S Stephen (Braid

Hills), D Drysdale (Dunbar).

72 -- P Wardell (Longniddry), A Hunter (Strathclyde Park), T Coles

(King James VI), S Callan (Dalmahoy), B Davidson (Kings Links), R Aitken

(Barassie), G Redford (Turnberry Hotel), A Hogg (Golf Club Chieming), S

Henderson (Kings Links), R Arnott (Caddy Shack), G Harvey (Grangemouth).

73 -- J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), F Mann (Musselburgh), C Gillies

(Falkirk), K Stables (Montrose), B Lockie (Barassie), I Bratton (Cruden

Bay), S Craig (Dunfermline), S Kerr (Renfrew), G Jack (Kirriemuir), G

Laing (North Wilts), J Henderson (Royal Musselburgh), C Elliott (Dubai

Creek), C Everett (Caldwell), K Fairbairn (Goswick).