GOLFNOTES

Captain Albert MacKenzie was proud of his Great Britain and Ireland side after they surged into the lead at the end of the first day of the PGA Cup at Foxhills Club and Resort in Surrey.

The GB&I captain watched in delight as his side overturned a 3-1 deficit from the morning’s fourball play, delivering a 4.5-3.5 lead after the afternoon’s foursomes action.

Banchory’s Greig Hutcheon partnered Ireland’s Damien McGrane to defeat in the morning fourball match at the hands of Rod Perry and Jamie Broce and MacKenzie, from Hopeman, said: “I’m very proud of the players. Session two was going to be pivotal after what happened this morning.”

lPark Sung-hyun took advantage of a reprieve when the Evian championship finally got going. The South Korean was six over after five holes when bad weather at Evian-les-Bains, France, forced the abandonment of the first round on Thursday.

Officials subsequently decided all scores should be erased and for the event, the final major of the year, to be restarted, as a 54-hole competition.

Park fared much better second time around as she carded seven birdies and an eagle to take a two-shot lead with an eight-under-par 63.

lPeterhead’s Ross Cameron was the only north-east player to figure among the six Scots who advanced to stage two from the European Tour Qualifying School eliminators at Roxburghe Hotel and Fleesensee in Germany yesterday.

He secured his place in the top 20 with a final round of 68 for a total of five-under-par 283 after earlier scores of 70, 74 and 71.

Philip McLean, also from Peterhead, and Banchory’s Chris Robb (Meldrum House) missed out with their joint 31st finish on twounder 286.

l The Nairn 2 team of Jamie Macintosh, Logan Gillies, Calum Scott and Hamish McColm beat the holders, Nairn Dunbar 1, by four holes in the first round of the Northern Counties Cup tournament at Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth.

The Nairn 2 pairing of Macintosh and Gillies won the last five holes to go five up and were level par at the finish in horrendous conditions while Scott and McColm lost by 1 hole.

Other good wins for second teams were Royal Aberdeen 2 beating Newmachar and Moray 2 beating Fortrose and Rosemarkie, the 2014 winners.

l James Grant, the host club captain and in his first season as a senior – won the North District seniors’ championship for the Macallan Trophy at Boat of Garten Golf Club.

He headed a field of 50 with a scratch round of 72 to win by two strokes from Laurie Chancellor (Inverness), twice the winner in the past three years, with Alistair Adam (Nairn) third with a 79.