21/07/10
The host club’s Grant Forrest remains on course for a national title double after a level par second round 71 left him just a shot behind joint leaders Lloyd Best and Linus Vaisanen at the halfway stage of the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship at Craigielaw.
Best, from Sherwood Forrest and young Finnish star Vaisanen, who shared the overnight lead, matched each other with one-over par 72s to take a one-shot lead on 139 going into the final day on three-under par. In worsening conditions on the East Lothian course, Scottish Boys champion Forrest stayed patient and notched his third birdie of the day at the par five final hole to secure a slot in the penultimate group tomorrow.
Round of the day came from Falkirk Tryst’s Jamie Lynch, a beaten semi-finalist at West Kilbride in the match play, who stormed the outward nine with a four-under par 31. Despite a bogey at the tenth, Lynch move to five-under for his round with a superb eagle at the long 12th and although a birdie at the 15th was sandwiched by bogeys at the 14th and 16th, he signed off for a four-under par 67 to sit just two off the pace.
Lynch was joined on one-under par by Scottish Boys’ international Scott Gibson (Southerness), who remained in contention for his maiden national title with a level par 71 and tied for fourth place. Pollok’s Conor O’Neil, one of the lowest handicappers in the field, shot an impressive two-under par 69 to sit menacingly poised three shots back, alongside Troon’s Marc Smith who matched O’Neil’s round of 69, with New Zealander Craig Hamilton on the same mark.
Defending champion Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) has it all to do after a two-over par 73 left him six shots behind the leaders on 145, while 14-year-old Bradley Neil, who won his second successive national U14s title last week, and Scottish Boys runner-up Ian Redford both birdied the last hole to scrape inside the cut mark on 148, six-over par.
Click here for second round scores from the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship at Craigielaw.