Paul Ferrier makes solid start

with 74 at Southern Highlands

Paul Ferrier, the Baberton player who won the Scottish boys' match-play title in 2007, has made a solid start to the Southern Highlands Collegiate tournament at Southern Highlands Golf Club, Las Vegas in Nevada.

In his first competitive outing of the second half of the 2008-2009 US college golf season, the 19-year-old freshman student at Charltotte University, North Carolina returned a two-over-par 74 over a very long course (7510yd) to be in joint 23rd position in a field of 80 players behind four joint leaders on 67 - Matthew Giles (Southern California), Ben Martin (Clemson), Colby Smith (UNLV) and Cameron Tringate (Georgia Tech).

Paul, pictured above, had bogeys at the fourth, 11th and 14th but birdied the 16th in halves of 37.

Gavin Reid (Southern California), from Ballynahinch, Northern Ireland, is in joint 63rd position after a 79.

Banchory's James Byrne (Arizona State) is still in a major form slump. He again failed to break 80, scoring an 81 for a share of 70th place. James had double bogeys at the first, 14th and short 17th in halves of 39 and 42. He did not have a single birdie on his card, which is just not Byrne's style at all.