Holder David Robertson from Dunbar was brought down at the first hurdle in this year's Lothians men's championship at Gullane.
In last night's completion of the first-round programme, Robertson's scalp was claimed at the nineteenth by Willie Reid of Royal Musselburgh.
Robertson made a gallant bid to stay in the tournament when, after trailing his opponent for most of the match, he holed from off the green for a birdie 3 at the last to square the match.
Reid may have been shaken but he was also stirred into producing a brilliant knock-out approach shot to the nineteenth green. His ball came to rest only 18 inches from the hole for a birdie 3. Robertson, in the rough, could produce no magic recovery this time and bowed out with a par 4. Results:
C J Gordon (Ratho Park) beat D Thomson (Deer Park), 1 hole; K A Wright (Musselburgh) beat D Marshall (Dalmahoy), at 20th; W Reid (Royal Musselburgh) beat D Robertson (Dunbar), at 19th; G Millar (Newbattle) beat A J Smith (Duddingston), 2 and 1; N M Sneddon (Ratho Park) beat A J Hogg (Ratho Park), at 20th; K G Weir (Turnhouse) beat N W Gemmill (Tantallon), 1 hole; S J Barnet (Prestonfield) beat G J Corrigan (Greenburn), 1 hole; M D Robson (Edinburgh Thistle) beat H M Naysmith (Glencourse), 2 and 1.
q LEADING scores from yesterday's third day of the Royal and Ancient's spring medal meeting over the Old Course, St Andrews:
70 - J R Davie (12). 72 - R M Webb (7). 73 - R J Beeson (8), A G O Walker (14), T A M Myles (7), D G Low (15). 74 - D J MacLeod (18), P J R Bathurst (9). 75 - S M Graham (8), G Sprot (13). 76 - H W Laughland (8), R D Muckart (7), J M Sandison (18), R Warnock (10).
q Tommy Horton, Europe's leading senior golfer last year with #133,000 in prize-money, faces a three-way challenge for his title this season. When he tees off for the new campaign in the Beko Turkish Seniors Open in Antalya today, he will be up against three fellow former Ryder Cup players.
England's Guy Hunt and John Garner are making their senior debuts along with Scot Norman Wood in a field of 90 who are shooting for a share of the #150,000 fund. Wood, pro at Royal Guernsey, is a former Italian Open champion and has the distinction of having beaten Lee Trevino on his appearance for GB and I in 1975 at Laurel Valley. Hunt also made his Cup appearance at Laurel Valley and was Dunlop Masters champion two years later. Lancastrian John Garner played in two Ryder Cup matches, at St Louis in 1971 and at Muirfield two years later.
This week is the start of an 18-event tour offering more than #2m in prize-money.
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