Goldie oldie Oldcorn in the hunt as Robertson leads Loch Lomond Whiskies’ Scottish PGA Championship

28/08/2024

Andrew Oldcorn rolled back the years at his treasured haunt of Dalmahoy to stay in the hunt at the halfway stage of the Loch Lomond Whiskies’ Scottish PGA Championship.

While defending champion Graeme Robertson eased to the front with a 10-under total, 64-year-old Oldcorn underlined his enduring competitive zeal with a five-under 68 for an eight-under total which left him lurking just two shots off the pace in a share of second.

As a rookie professional back in 1984, Oldcorn, who was a junior member at Dalmahoy in his formative golfing days, finished runner-up in his first appearance in the Scottish PGA Championship over the storied East Course.

Forty years on, the former BMW PGA champion continues to use all that local knowledge to fine effect in his push for an unlikely silver lining.

“It would be a hell of a story if I could do it,” said Legends Tour campaigner Oldcorn, who is well on course to win the Scottish Seniors PGA title which is running in conjunction with the main event.

“Three quarters of the field here this week probably weren’t born when I first played in it. I have played here hundreds and hundreds of times, so familiarity does help.”

Oldcorn chipped in for a birdie on his second hole while his 3-wood approach to just four-feet on the 13^th was another highlight of a delightfully engineered round.

“Another two days will be tough,” he added. “I’m not used to 72-holes these days. I’m 64. I’ll probably do one more year, then call it quits. But I still love playing and the competitive instinct is still there.

“There’s no pressure on me. I’m just playing a course that I’ve loved all my life. That will keep me going.”

Robertson began his second round with a brace of birdies at the first and second and upped the ante with four birdies in a row from the ninth.

A double-bogey on the 13^th briefly halted his surge but normal service was resumed and the reigning champion made gains at 15 and 18 to rise to the top.

Robertson, striving to become the first player since Ross Drummond in 1990 to win back-to-back Scottish PGA titles, said: “There are so many good players with great experience here, so you can’t rest. You just have to keep pressing and try to make birdies.”

Sean Lawrie, whose Open Championship-winning uncle Paul was a two-time Scottish PGA champion, barged his way into the mix with a bogey-free 68 which left him two shots back on eight-under.

“It would be nice to add an ‘S Lawrie’ onto the trophy,” said the championship debutant. “I’ve not been playing as much this year. I became a father at the end of last year which is taking up even more of my time. When I do get out to play, I enjoy it more now.”

Lawrie and Oldcorn were joined on eight-under by the Carnegie Club’s Taylor Kerr, who posted a spirited 69. Despite stumbling out of the blocks with two, three-putt bogeys, the 22-year-old repaired the damage with a bag of six birdies as his impressive debut in the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour’s flagship event continued.

Hayston’s Chris Maclean sits in fifth place on seven-under after a 70 with Cameron Marr and Ross Munro one stroke back on six-under.

George Duncan burnished his three-under 70 with a hole-in-one on the fourth as he finished on five-under, but overnight leader Andrew Cheese, who opened with a sparkling 65, sagged to a 77 to drop back to four-under.

Heather MacRae, who became the first woman since 1933 to play in the Scottish PGA Championship back in 2009, made the cut with a shot to spare on two-over after a battling one-under 72.

Click here for the scores from Dalmahoy.