The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Round in style
He took advantage of a kindly bounce off a greenside bank to get a shot straight back on the par three 12th.
But the consistency of the front nine had gone and it was a rollercoaster finish to his round which included another double-bogey, two bogeys and the birdie, birdie conclusion.
“I didn’t really have a target when I went out there,” Syme said.
“My goal is to try to make the cut and I’ve had a good finish there to give me a chance tomorrow. I just really enjoyed myself. It was brilliant to be out there.”
The company of Daly, and the commotion that can sometimes accompany him, can prove to be a distraction but, for Syme, it was a pleasure to play with the flamboyant former Open champion.
“John Daly was such a nice guy,” he said. “And he’s very funny.
“Adam was nice, too, so that definitely helped.
“The whole spirit of the group was very relaxed. “We were just chatting about golf. “John was having a bit of a laugh when he was getting his Diet Coke brought over – just things like that.”
Syme has a 6.46am start to his second round and will be hoping to build on his end-of-round momentum.
“I felt good going on to the green on 18 and that I maybe needed to make a birdie to lift the spirits for tomorrow,” he said.
“So that was cool to see that one go in in front of the massive grandstands.
“It definitely gives me a chance and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m up early and we’ll see what happens.
“There was a lady with a Scottish flag shouting my name which was cool ,and I got a big clap at the end which felt really good.
“Hopefully a few of my friends will make it down for the second round, and something under par tomorrow might help me make it through.”