Being tipped for golfing superstardom can be a hefty burden to bear. Even Atlas would groan, wheeze and buckle under the weight of expectation that can get lumped on the shoulders. James Heath knows all about that, of course. Back in 2004, the Nick Faldo protégé was the bright young thing of English amateur golf. The professional game, and all the riches and rewards that it can offer, lay invitingly on the horizon. Here in 2016, he’s doing enough to “keep my head above water.”

It’s a fickle old pursuit and in the shadow of the Cairngorms, Heath is still trying to clamber out of the golfing foothills. A sparkling nine-under 62 at Macdonald Spey Valley in the second round of the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge propelled him into the title race on a 12-under 130 before play was suspended for well over three hours due to thunder and heavy rain in the highlands.

Heath, who was sitting a shot behind clubhouse leader Chris Selfridge, won on the Challenge Tour back in 2006 on his way to promotion to the main European Tour but his rise was fleeting and he disappeared quicker than the value of the pound after the Brexit vote.

As he continues to make ends meet, Heath juggles competitive golf with occasional employment with his family run heating business. “One of my jobs was cash collections,” he said. “It was basically calling people up and asking, ‘where’s our money?’ … in a very polite way of course.”

Here in Aviemore, Heath is hoping to collect a sizeable wad of cash for himself and his superbly assembled card, illuminated by a haul of nine birdies including four in a row from the fifth, bolstered his assault.

“As with all good rounds it felt like a breeze,” added Heath, who had one of those days when golf seems easy. Life at the coal face of professional golf is never easy, though, and at 32, Heath is still chipping away.

“I was tipped by some to go far in this game many years ago but far too much has gone on since then and life gets in the way,” reflected the former English Amateur champion who won the prestigious Lytham Trophy in 2004 with a record-busting 18-under tally. “I just didn’t play good enough. If I could go back to when I first turned pro and tell myself one thing it would be ‘just chill out’.

“There have been too many times over the years when I have doubted myself and it has been a real rollercoaster. Even coming into this week I was asking myself ‘have I got it?’ But I was given a good pep talk by a lot of good people around me and I’ve cracked on.”

Selfridge also got cracking in the pleasant conditions of the morning and the two-time North of Ireland champion made the most of it with a purposeful seven-under 64 which hoisted him to the top with a 13-under 129. “I think back over my career and ask myself ‘have I ever played better over two rounds?’ and the answer is probably not,” admitted he 24-year-old. “But there’s such a long way to go and golf is a cruel game at times.”

The weather delay made things messy, with numerous players trying to finish their rounds before darkness. One player going home early, however, was local man Duncan Stewart. The Grantown player, who won on the Challenge Tour in Spain in April and sits fifth on the rankings, missed the cut with a one-under tally.