Ex-champ roars ahead at Gleneagles

Jason McCreadie, the 2008 winner, will celebrate his 43rd birthday on Tuesday holding a two-shot lead at the halfway stage after a second day of low-scoring in the £50,000 Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship.

On a rain-softened King's Course, McCreadie, who is attached to Buchanan Castle, added a 66 to his opening 64 for a 12-under-par aggregate in the Tartan Tour's flagship event.

It doubled his first-round advantage over Gareth Wright after the West Linton player followed up his first-round 65 with a 67.

But the pair might not be left to battle it out for the title on their own in the final two rounds after Gamola Golf's Greg McBain and Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) both surged up the leaderboard.

McBain, winner of the Paul Lawrie Invitational at Deeside last year, was three-over with five holes to play in his first-round 71.

But, helped by a hot putter, the 29-year-old bagged nine birdies second time out in carding an eight-under 63, the best of the week.

It catapulted him into third on eight-under, three ahead of Hutcheon after the Tartan Tour No 1 signed for a 64.

Illuminated by an eagle at the tenth, it helped repair an opening 73 that included a quadruple-bogey eight at the third.
 
But McCreadie, a two-time Northern Open winner, is still the man to catch in Perthshire.

"I hit a couple of bad ones today but got away with them, which is what you need," said the leader, who reckons a win could be written in the stars.

He's working with Rowallan Castle-based Ross Aitken, who helped Graham Fox claim this title at the same venue 12 months ago.

"That's maybe an omen, you never know," added McCreadie with a smile.

The cut fell at four-over, with 37 players making it through to the final two days. They include Alan Duncan, whose second-round 67 included a hole-in-one at the 178-yard eighth with a 6-iron.

The third round starts at 7.30am with McBain, Wright and McCreadie out in the last group at 9.30am.