Gane leads the way heading into final round of Eagle Orchid Scottish Masters
14/06/2018
Chris Gane shot consecutive rounds of 66 to lead by two heading into the final round of the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s Eagle Orchid Scottish Masters at Montrose Golf Links.
Gane (Left Handed Golf at Silvermere) took control in Montrose after many of the front runner’s scores went in the opposite direction. A second consecutive round of 66 (-5) with just a single bogey was enough to give the 44-year old a two-shot cushion with 18 holes left to play.
He said: “It’s been tricky yardage-wise this week, hitting clubs off tees to stay out of bunkers that you would usually expect to get to. There’s an element of luck there with links golf that I’ve been fortunate with at times.”
It didn’t as planend for Gane, who picked up a bogey on the first hole. He said: “You know round here that there are lots of scoring chances, I find that links golf is more about staying out of the fairway bunkers. Once I landed in one on the first I was resigned to a bogey, but I knew I’d been playing well and would get chances to go low on the front nine.”
The adverse conditions, mainly the strong winds, affected many but Gane stood firm on the Scottish coast despite being three shots off the lead before teeing off.
Four golfers sit just two shots behind Gane in the form of James Ruth (China Fleet Golf & Country Club), Jack Yule (King’s Lynn Golf Club), Joe Brooks (Hanbury Manor Golf Club), and Gary King (First Choice Villas/ TWGC).
First round leader Craig Farrelly had a start to forget, dropping five shots in the first four holes. Despite two birdies on the front nine, a further two bogeys, on the 13th and 17th holes, leaves the 43-year-old with lots of work to do tomorrow.
Jimmy Mullen (Royal North Devon Golf Club) found his form in the second round, bouncing back from a three-over par opening round, and carded the joint lowest round of the tournament (63) – bogey free no less.
Sean Lawrie (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) dominated the front nine, going out in just 29 shots, and registered himself as another genuine contender for the £59,000 bonus for a 59 round when he was eight-under par through 12 holes. However, a bogey on the 14th nulled any hope of a big payday for the Scotsman who finished the round tied for 15th spot and five shots off the lead.
A cut to the leading 50 players and ties has now been made, with those one-under par or better proceeding to the final round.
Spectator entry is free on the final round and live scoring can be found at europrotour.com. Highlights of the Eagle Orchid Scottish Masters will air on Sky Sports on 26th June.
