The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Cold Calum comes to fore
SCOTTISH BOYS’: US-based schoolboy is chilled but not out after fine debut
Calum Ross’ mother and brother Liam are enjoying 27C warmth on a spring break in Florida but the 15-year-old wouldn’t be anywhere else than with dad Bob at chilly Murcar for the Scottish Boys’ Championship.
The Atlanta-based schoolboy, playing off a handicap of plus one, looks like a dangerous floater in the draw for the Boys’ this year despite not expecting this level of chill in Aberdeen.
Bob, from Glasgow, is a partner with Pricewaterhouse Cooper. Based in the US, he has schooled his eldest son in links on regular trips home to play St Andrews and North Berwick.
Mum balked at a holiday in Scotland last year to prevent Calum from making his Boys’ debut at Dunbar, but yesterday he started superbly with a 7 and 5 victory over John McGowan (Shotts).
“I didn’t know Aberdeen was so far north, and that the wind chill off the sea would have the temperature down to 30 degrees (fahrenheit),” said the shivering teenager.
“But I’m pretty used to playing links from trips over here, and have a pretty low ball flight anyway.
“The course is pretty wet and there’s not that amount of run in it, so the adjustment has been pretty easy.”
Starting birdie-par to go two-up, Calum was five-up at the turn, closing it out in one-over figures.
He started playing almost as soon as he could stand, making his first par at age four and breaking 70 at 11, when the family lived in Chicago.
Dad has made sure Calum, born in Hong Kong, knows his Scottish roots.
Bob played in the championship in 1975 “but without any success at all”.
Calum’s aim is to go to college to play golf, but while still at high school he can’t be approached by interested college coaches until his penultimate year, which is 18 months away.
He’s in the same part of the draw as seed Rory Franssen, who came through his first-round match against Ewan Milligan, son of former Walker Cup player Jim, but has never got beyond the second round before.
Also in this section of the draw are Fife’s Stewart Philp (Lundin) and Ben Caton (New Club), who came through first-round ties yesterday.
It was a good day for the Scott family as top seed Sandy breezed through his second-round game against Kyle Harker and diminutive young brother Calum, just 12, won his first game.
The youngest player left in the championship, playing off seven, defeated Blairgowrie’s Campbell Gibson 2 and 1 for an encouraging debut. Dwarfed by even the practice ground signs at Murcar, he has a lot of growing to do.
His brother, before going out for his second-round game, watched for a few holes and admitted to being “far more nervous than I’ve been for any of my games”.
There’s not much chance of the brothers meeting in opposite ends of the draw.
However, there’s every chance Scott could meet Michael Lawrie, the younger son of Paul, tomorrow if both continue to make progress.
There have been no surprises so far in the draw, with the Midlands’ only seed, Muckhart’s Robert Watson, enjoying a 3 and 2 win over Stuart Goodfellow (Hayston).
Boys’ cap Jamie Stewart was a possible upset playing scratch golfer Graeme Greer from Carluke, but the national under-16s captain, the third seed, won through in impressive fashion 5 and 4.