Lowscoring has Scots

than shooting the lights out, which appeared instead to be the aim on the neighbouring property. For a large part of the day qualifying was played to a steady and sometimes intrusive soundtrack of gunfire from the Barry Buddon range, familiar enough to locals but not to the international field.

“A disgrace that this should happen for a championship of this stature,” said one irate local.

The R&A had requested to the MoD – as they customarily do when championships visit Carnoustie – that any activity be toned down for this week, but the Army had pre-scheduled training exercises.

“It was impossible to change the schedules for what is a very busy and important period of training activity for both regular Army and for reservists,” said an Army spokeswoman.

“They were fairly well at Howie with a wry smile.

“I thought they were shooting at each

it,” said other and there was a war going on for a while out there.”

Kent’s Alfie Plant, who followed his record first round 63 at Panmure with a 78 on Carnoustie to barely make the cut in the end, joked that he “had to duck a few times” but it didn’t seem that many in the field were too inconvenienced.

Howie’s highlight was the eagle two at the 11th, a drive 30 yards short of the green and a good pitch “that got lucky and dropped”.

Three more birdies followed for the 20-year-old, now on Stirling University’s golf programme and finding the form that won him the national Boys’ title at Murcar in 2012.

“I did lose a bit of confidence and form after that win but I change coaches to Stuart Savage this winter and I’ve been doing a lot of analysis with stats from Golf Data Labs which has helped me identify areas of my game to work on,” he explained.

Ferguson won the British Boys’ title

Perth golfer Daniel Young chips onto the green on his way to a 76 – 11 shots behind fellow Scot Craig Howie, above, who finished as joint leader.

Ewen Ferguson was in impressive qualifying form as he carded a second round 71.