SALTIRED & EMOTIONAL
GOLF MATCH PLAY LATEST Lawrie agony as he’s KOd from his own tournament
HOST Paul Lawrie bowed out of the Saltire Energy Match Play after a nightmare late collapse.
The Aberdonian looked on course to produce a superb comeback in his second-round clash with Alejandro Canizares.
Lawrie recovered from three down after eight to win four of the next five holes, three of them with birdies, to lead for the first time in the match.
But after the Spaniard regained the lead on the 14th and the 15th was halved in birdies, the Scot hit a wild drive on the 16th to lose his ball and the hole before finding the water with his next tee shot.
The former Open champ took off his shoes and socks to attempt a recovery shot from the edge of the hazard but thinned his second across the green and fluffed his third before eventually conceding.
Canizares will take on Ireland’s Paul Dunne in the third round after Dunne enjoyed a 4&3 win over Sweden’s Jens Fahbring, with Ashun Wu or Chris Paisley next in line in the quarter-finals after victories over Rikard Karlberg and Nathan Kimsey respectively.
Dunne said: “I struggled a little off the tee today but hit some good iron shots and the key was when I get out of position, he didn’t take advantage.”
Defending champion Anthony Wall produced a big finish for the second day running to record his eighth straight victory in the event, beating Haydn Porteous on the 18th.
Wall followed up a hardfought first-round win over Sam Walker with a similar tussle against Porteous.
The South African was one up with two to play before Wall birdied the 17th and parred the last to set up a third-round clash with Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson.
Wall said: “I feel sorry for Haydn as he’s been struggling a lot of the year. He played really well today and that’s match play. It’s one or two holes or one or two shots and luckily it was my turn.
“Jamie is a top player, clearly he’s played match play at the highest level. He’s a good friend coming back to form and it will be a great game.”
Donaldson, who got the winning point at Gleneagles in 2014, lost the first two holes against Spaniard Jorge Campillo but won five of the next eight holes on his way to a 4&3 win.
There were wins for Tom Lewis, Alexander Knappe, Ashley Chesters and Adrian Otaegui in the bottom half of the draw, and Johan Carlsson, Marcus Fraser, Marcel Siem, Thomas Detry, Robert Rock and Florian Fritsch in the top half.
He played really well and that’s match play. It’s one or two holes or shots ANTHONY WALL