McBain leads as Deeside

Overnight leader Greg McBain overcame a triple bogey at the 10^th to remain the man to catch in the Paul Lawrie Invitational at Deeside Golf Club.

McBain, whose lead has been cut to one shot, had to work much harder to salvage a par 70 for six-under 134 than he had for his 64 on the opening day.

"It was a wee bit wetter out there today, but it was still ‘scoreable,' as you can see by the other scores," said McBain later.

"I had a bad 10^th hole when I made triple-bogey seven. I hit it into the bunker off the tee. Had a go at reaching the green but hit it into the ditch.

"After that I played solid although the rough is very chewy. If you hit it off-line it is really tough to make pars.

"The only real problem on the course today was the rough. It is penal when it is dry here, never mind when it is soaking wet like it was today.

"I finished level-par for the round so I will wait and see what happens. I am only leading by a stroke. That doesn't faze me at all as I have been there before."

Things started well for the 30-year-old Aberdonian with birdies at the second, short fifth and eighth. Then came that horrible seven at the 10^th. But McBain's confidence is on a high enough plain to take a blow like that on the chin - and bounce back with a birdie as he did at the long 13^th.

A bogey at the 18^th kept the door open for the pursuing pack of which the nearest challenger is one of the lesser known Tartan Tour players, Paul Robinson (Largs). He shot a 65 to be only one behind McBain on 135.

Highlight of Robinson's card was an eagle two at the ninth - one of three twos he had on his card. The others were more conventional, coming at the short 14^th and 16^th.

Paul Lawrie's elder son Craig is one of the six players on 136. Over his home course as an amateur, he has scored 69 and 67 - one of his best tournament performances so far since he turned pro not all that long ago.

Round of the day was a six-under-par 64 by Scottish professional champion Gareth Wright. That represented an 11-stroke improvement on his opening round.

Wright is five off the pace on 139. But another outward half tomorrow like the Welshman had today - 31 to the turn, including an eagle three at the long sixth - would close a fair chunk of the gap on the leaders.

First prize looks like being a record high for the Paul Lawrie Invitational - in the region of £7,500. With that kind of prize at stake, it promises to be quite a shoot-out over the final 18 holes.

Thirty-five players with aggregates of three-over-par 143 and better qualified for the last day.