Cheese takes charge of Loch Lomond Whiskies' Scottish PGA Championship

Andrew Cheese put his lack of competitive golf behind him to make a stunning start to the Loch Lomond Whiskies’ Scottish PGA Championship at Dalmahoy.

On a weather-hit opening day, which led to a suspension of three hours and 45 minutes, Cheese emerged late in the evening with a thrilling eight-under 65 as he finished four shots clear of Ross Munro, Jordan Sundborg, Chris Maclean, Tom Higson, Taylor Kerr and the defending champion, Graeme Robertson.

With a busy coaching diary at the St Andrews Links Golf Academy, Cheese has played in only two Tartan Tour events this season, but the 36-year-old from Sutton Coldfield revelled in a rare outing on the domestic circuit.

The catalyst for a rousing round arrived on the very first hole when he holed his bunker shot for an opening eagle-three. 

“That put me in a great frame of mind and I just went on from there,” said Cheese, who was a prolific winner on The PGA Midlands scene before moving north and becoming a full-time coach.

“With coaching and family commitments, I haven’t played a lot. My mind still expects to do things but the reality is that the expectations are much lower. Sometimes playing with low expectations helps.

“I thought I’d keep this event in the diary as a bit of time off work. It’s rare to get out playing so I just tried to enjoy it.”

Robertson, aiming to become the first player to win back-to-back national titles since Ross Drummond in 1990, was out in the very first group of the day but managed just two holes before play was suspended.

The 36-year-old returned with purpose and a neatly assembled, bogey-free round was illuminated on the par-five 18^th when he cracked a 3-wood to 20-feet to set up an eagle chance. His putt just missed but the resulting birdie set the early standard.

“It was wet, windy and pretty miserable so four-under was very good in the conditions,” said Robertson, who won the pre-championship Pro-Am with a sizzling 10-under score. “I played to my strengths today and just kept hitting drivers at every opportunity. It’s a nice start to the defence.”

Munro has had close shaves in both the Deer Park Masters and the Kerr Investments order of merit events recently. 

A 69 set him up nicely for another title assault as he seeks a breakthrough on the Tartan Tour.

The 30-year-old highlighted his round with a terrific bunker shot on the 15^th which spun back to within eight-feet of the pin and led to his sixth birdie of the day.

“I feel a breakthrough is coming and I really should’ve won at Deer Park,” said Munro of those near misses. “I certainly would’ve taken this at the start and at least I’ve given the rest of the boys something to think about.”

Hayston pro Maclean birdied two of his last three holes in his four-under round as he continued the mine the rich vein of form that earned him a share of the honours in the Kerr Investments 36-holer earlier this month.

“This is my first Scottish PGA Championship and so far it feels pretty easy,” chuckled Maclean. “I’ve been playing well all season really and I’m making loads of birdies. That helps the self-belief.”

Sundborg, the winner of July’s Scottish Young Professionals’ Championship, picked up three birdies in a row around the turn before dinking a fine chip into the 18^th for a finishing birdie to join the log-jam on four-under.

“I made slow start and was one-over through five but I got used to the conditions and the three birdies really got me going,” said the Royal Burgess trainee.

Kerr birdied the last in the fading light to join the four-under posse while Higson, the winner of the Deer Park Masters earlier this month, birdied three holes in a row from the eighth on his way to a 69.

Play was eventually suspended for the day with nine matches still to complete the first round.

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