Justin Rose shaken after fan injured by wayward drive

JUSTIN Rose, the defending champion, was left visibly shaken after hitting an elderly spectator with a wayward drive in the second round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Gullane.

The unfortunate incident at the 16th hole left the fan bloodied and a younger spectator standing next to him fainted.

“It’s never a nice feeling,” said Rose after carding a second successive 66 to sit just three shots behind the halfway leader, fellow Englishman Daniel Brooks.

“He was an elderly gentleman, but he took it like a trooper. I think he got weak at the knees and was on the floor resting, but he came around pretty quick. He said, ‘I’ve been coming to golf tournaments for years and years and I’ve never been hit’.”

The first two days have attracted a combined attendance of 28,244 – slightly up on last year at Royal Aberdeen. At 13,547, the opening day at Gullane was more than 2,000 more than the corresponding day 12 months ago but 14,697 for the second round was down on last year.

“So far, really good,” said championship director Peter Adams. “I think we are on course for what I would call a good, solid attendance, but we will have to wait and see. We are not getting complacent as we still have two days to go.”

Brooks, the world No 528, is a surprise leader, having missed 30 cuts since he won the Madeira Islands Open 13 months ago. “To miss that many cuts is hard,” admitted the 28-year-old from Basildon. “It does get you down. But it only takes one good week out here and, hopefully, that’s what I’m about to have.”

Paul Lawrie, lying joint 13th, is the best of six Scots still standing, one in front of Russell Knox and local man David Drysdale, who catapulted up the leaderboard after a 65. But there were early exits for Stephen Gallacher, Richie Ramsay, Martin Laird and Scott Jamieson as the cut fell at two-under.

ROSE BLOOMS, PULL-OUT