Henderson and Cameron take control of Scottish PGA Championship

02/09/2020

Scott Henderson and Ross Cameron’s reward for posting the best rounds of the day in the Loch Lomond Whiskies Scottish PGA Championship was a share of the lead at its halfway stage.

Their five-under-par rounds of 67 at Deer Park Golf and Country Club took them to nine-under for the tournament and a three-shot lead over the chasing pack.

The pair began two shots adrift of first round leader Greig Hutcheon and Cameron, who represents Saltire Energy, wasted no time in setting about retrieving the deficit.

He birdied the first two holes and added two more at eight and nine to be four-under at the turn. Three more followed in four holes on the back nine but these were bookended by Cameron’s first bogey of the tournament at 11 and another at 16.

Henderson (above) had also been bogey-free in the first round and his first blip came at the downhill par-four left to right dogleg sixth hole.

It followed birdies at the second and fifth holes but the pro from Kings Links Golf Centre showed no ill-effects from the setback.

Back to back birdies prior to the turn took him to three-under and two more and no further mishaps ensured he finished level with Cameron.

Reflecting on his round, Henderson was relieved to avoid a gremlin that had been creeping into his game.

“I had a slight left shot for a while,” he explained. “It would rear its ugly head at the most inopportune moments and cause a double or a triple.

“I’ve done some work on that and the shot seems to have vanished. As a result I’m hitting the ball a bit straighter and online.

“When you start hitting the ball a bit better as I have been you get a bit more confident. When you’ve got a destructive shot in your armoury it’s difficult to be confident for 18 holes.”

Henderson’s biggest concern following his round was the rain and the effect it may have on day three.

“It’s tipping it down now,” he said. “It’s Armageddon out there but the course drains well now.

“Many years ago a couple of spots of rain would have closed the course but a lot of money has been spent on it and it stands up to the bad weather a lot better than it used to.”

Meanwhile, after setting the pace on day one, Hutcheon, the three-time winner of the Tartan Tour’s flagship event, was becalmed.

He posted a level-par round of 72 and lies tied-third with Graham Fox, another former winner, and Kyle Godsman. Paul O’Hara, the defending champion and three-time winner Chris Kelly are a shot further back on five-under.

Full scores can be accessed here