SALTMAN JOINT FOURTH BUT

RAMSAY RETIRES DURING

SECOND ROUND IN GEORGIA

Craigielaw’s Lloyd Saltman, pictured right, recovered very well from a potentially disastrous start to go into the third and final round in joint fourth place, three shots off the pace, in the prestigious Jones Cup Invitational golf tournament on the Frederica Golf Club course, St Simons Island, Georgia .
But his Walker Cup foursomes partner and reigning US amateur champion Richie Ramsay (Royal Aberdeen) has hit his last shot in the 54 hole tournament. Ramsay, who had a 73 in the first round, retired with a hip injury after 14 holes on Saturday.
On a very cold day – even by Scottish winter standards, Ramsay started with a double-bogey 6 and dropped further shots at the fifth and sixth to be out in four over par 40. He bogeyed the 10th but birdied the short 11th before deciding that he could not continue past the 14th hole.
It transpired that Ramsay, No 1 in the R&A world amateur rankings every week since he won the title last summer, has been suffering from a left-hip ailment and the cold caused his back to stiffen.
Scottish Golf Union national coach Ian Rae said: "Richie’s hip has been hurting him for some time. It's something he needs to work on."
Saltman took a while to settle in his second-round 70. He bogeyed the first, third and fourth but did not drop a single shot after that in covering the remaining holes in five under par with birdies at the sixth, seventh and ninth – capped by an eagle 3 at the long 15th in halves of 36 and 34.
That gave him a 36-hole tally of three-under-par 141.
The next two Scots, Callum Macaulay, the University of Mississippi student and West of of Scotland Open champion from Tulliallan, and the East of Scotland Open title-holder from Carnoustie, Keir McNicoll, are on level par 144.
Keir McNicol (Carnoustie) finished on a high note with three birdies in the last five holes for a 70. He birdied the fourth and sixth and was one of the few to reach the turn in one-under-par 35. He undid the good work with bogeys at the 10th and 11th but then roared back with birdies at the short 13th , the long 14th and the long 18th.
Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) dropped his shots on the outward half in returning a 72 (38-34). He birdied the first but bogeyed the second, third and ninth. Callum kept his concentration well on an inward half which yielded him seven pars and birdies at the 13th and 18th .
Scottish open amateur stroke-play champion Scott Henry (Cardross) is on 150 after a 76. He reached the turn in 38 after bogeying the first three holes but steadied up to birdie the sixth and was out in two-over 38.
Another birdie followed at the 11th but he bogeyd the 13th and 14th before grabbing a superb eagle 3 at the long 15th.
His roller-coaster round continued with back-to-back bogeys at the 16th and 17th before he birdied the par-5 18th.
Paul O’Hara (Colville Park) had double bogeys at the second and 12th in his round of 76 (40-36) for 151. Out in four-over 40, Paul did birdie the 11th and 15th on the way home.
Scottish amateur match-play champion Kevin McAlpine from Alyth improved by five strokes in 24 hours..
McAlpine, all at sea on the large, undulating greens in a first-round, eight-over-par 80, looked a little bit happier with himself as he returned a 75 for 155. McAlpine had only one birdie, at the sixth but bogeys at the first, third, eighth and 11th in halves of 38 and 37.
Russell Knox from Inverness, who gained a place in the field through his Jacksonville University playing record, again did himself less than justice with a repeat 79 for 158.
Knox began his round 5-5-6 (bogey, bogey, double-bogey) and another double bogey at the eighth saw him reach the turn in five-over-par 41.
Russell did birdie the 15th and 18th but that did not cancel out all his homeward bogeys.
Big-hitting Kansas University student Gary Woodland, the first-round leader with a seven-under-par 65, took eight shots more at the second time of asking and a 73 for six-under-par 138 gave the chasing pack hope that he could be overhauled in Sunday’s last round.
He leads by one shot from Alabama’s Michael Thompson with another American, Luke List, runner-up in the 2004 US amateur championship in third place on 141.

SECOND-R0UND TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
Players from US unless stated.
138 G Woodland 65 73.
139 M Thompson 70 69.
140 L List 69 71.
141 L Saltman (Sco) 71 70, R Grube 70 71..
142 T Ragland 73 69, A K Mitchell 68 74..
143 D Johnson 72 71, K Stanley 73 70, R Hybl 71 72.
144 R Fowler 72 72, C Macaulay (Sco) 72 72, J McLean 75 69, K McNicol (Sco) 74 70, B Parker (Eng) 71 73.
145 R Davies (Wal) 73 72, K Davis 73 72, P Nagle 72 73, A Eaton 70 75, B Harman 71 74, W Simpson 70 75. B Todd 69 76, B Whitcher 71 74.
146 D May 72 74, G Todd 72 74. P Uihlein 74 72, T Ervin 72 74, J Byrd 71 75, T Jackson 70 76.
147 P Waring (Eng) 76 71, M Green 73 74, C Knost 74 73, J Parry (Eng) 73 74, N Smith 75 72.
148 M Swan 76 72, D Van de Valt (SAf) 77 71, M Hoffman 72 76, T Can 71 77.
149 C Forrester 76 73, M Harrell 77 72, E Richardson (Eng) 77 72, G Boyd (Eng) 75 74, B Martin 75 74, M McCoy 76 73, H Swafford 73 76, R Thomas 75 74.
150 D Delcher 76 74, K Tway 78 72, S Henry (Sco) 76 74, T Kuehne 73 77, M Morrison 75 75, B Schnell 75 75, G Shaw (Ire) 73 77.
151 R Gerwin 72 79, C Kirk 76 75, C Lutz 74 77, P Mollica 75 76, E O’Connell (Ire) 74 77, P O’Hara (Sco) 75 76, J Campillo (Spa) 70 81.
152 S Brandon 76 76, J Grodzinsky 77 75, K King 76 76, A Vonganij 77 75, R Jamieson 75 77.
153 M Love 77 76, K Marsh 78 75, K Quinn 76 77, D Womack 77 76, J Miller 74 79, P Patterson 76 77.
154 Jonas Blixt (Swe) 82 72, K Guest 78 76, J Knox 80 74, P Tallent 76 78, S Hardy 76 78.
155 Alan Bratton 79 76, Jhared Hack 79 75, Kevin McAlpine (Sco) 80 75, J Moul (Eng) 79 76, B Marek 78 77, G Sneider 77 78, G Strother 78 74, T Brown 73 82, T Satterfield 74 81.
156 Gene Elliott 81 75, J Kelly 79 77, G Marucci 77 79, R Reisen 78 78.
157 Kelly Miller 79 78.
158 Nigel Edwards (Wal) 79 79, Russell Knox (Sco) 79 79, T Brennan 76 82.
159 M McDermott (Ire) 77 82, K Mikkelsen 78 81, S Saunders 78 81.
160 Taylor Adams 80 80.
Retired: R Ramsay (Sco) 73 - .