Golf:Peter Lawrie was back at the business end of the leaderboard for the second week running when the Johnnie Walker Championship got underway after a three hour fog delay at Gleneagles today. The 37-year-old Dubliner, who started the Czech Open with a 66 before falling back to 37th last time out, carded a four under par round of 68.
That was still two off the pace, however, as Mark Foster looks to seal a return to team golf in real style this weekend. The 36-year-old is on course to earn a place in Britain and Ireland’s Seve Trophy side for the first time and says of next month’s match against Continental Europe in Paris: “I’ve been trying hard all year to make it and if it comes around it will be a massive thing for me.”
Not even a problem with wasps and bees could prevent Foster from making a flying start. While Ryder Cupper Ross Fisher crashed to five over as he was affected by them - he then hit back to finish with a 71 — his fellow Englishman carried on regardless and turned in a brilliant 30, no fewer than 10 shots better.
“I remember having to make a birdie putt with a wasp on the ball,” he said. “It’s going to come off when you hit it and I just felt in a good place, so I hit the putt.”
The former English amateur champion, who was back playing with his Walker Cup partner David Howell, had two more birdies on the front nine, but there were two bogeys as well and that kept his lead over Spaniard Ignacio Garrido down to a single stroke.
Play did not begin until 10.10am and it meant the first second spilled into a second day. Among the later starters were Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal, Ryder Cup captains past and present. After eight holes they were both one under, although Montgomerie had been three under after a birdie at the first and then eagle on the long second.
Earlier in the day Nick Dougherty was two under after three and joint leader, but his horror run of missed cuts going back to last November looks set to reach 21 after he fell away to a 76.
Dougherty, a member of the last three Seve Trophy sides who has slumped from 46th in the world three years ago to 773rd, ran up a quadruple bogey seven on the short sixth and was six over before closing with an eagle that does at least give him some hope of surviving to the weekend.
