Wilson, Gleeson and Grehan survive Scottish Amateur cut
Alexander Wilson
Portmarnock’s Alexander Wilson came home in a super 32 to join Alex Gleeson and Stuart Grehan in the last two rounds of the Carrick Neill Scottish Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship.
The trio were the only Irish players to make the cut for the top 40 and ties at Gullane No 1, where Scotland’s Sandy Scott (66) and Grant Forrest (69) lead by one stroke from Australia’s Travis Smyth on seven under par.
Level par after an opening 71, Wilson bogeyed the fourth and double bogeyed the fifth to slip well off the pace. But he then finished brilliantly with a birdie at the sixth, followed by four more in an immaculate homeward nine, helping him make the level par cut with two strokes to spare thanks to a two under 69.
A sophomore at the University of California and a graduate of Loretto School in Edinburgh, 21 year old Wilson is tied for 16th with Castle’s Gleeson and Tullamore’s Grehan, who also carded 69s in the second round at the East Lothian links.
Grehan got off to a dream start with an eagle two at the first and while he had four bogeys in his round, two of his four birdies came in his last four holes as he moved 19 spots up the leaderboard in the afternoon.
Gleeson opened with 10 straight pars, then birdied the 11th and 12th before following his only dropped shot of the afternoon at the 14th with a birdie three to finish.
If it was a good day for the leading trio, another six left disappointed with Portmarnock’s Geoff Lenehan finishing a shot outside the cut line after rounds of 73 and 69.
Colm Campbell (75-68) and Robin Dawson (73-70) missed out by two with Tiarnan McLarnon back on 145, John Ross Galbraith on 147 and Waterford’s Eanna Griffin on 150.
Griffin improved on his first round by an incredible 14 strokes by following an 82 with a 68.
Carrick Neill Scottish Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship. Gulline No.1 (Par 71)
- T16 WILSON, Alexander (Portmarnock) 71 69 140
- T16 GLEESON, Alex (Castle) 71 69 140
- T16 GREHAN, Stuart (Tullamore) 71 69 140
Missed the cut
- T41 LENEHAN, Geoff (Portmarnock) 73 69 142
- T50 CAMPBELL, Colm (Warrenpoint) 75 68 143
- T50 DAWSON, Robin (Tramore) 73 70 143
- T64 MCLARNON, Tiarnan (Massereene) 73 72 145
- T83 GALBRAITH, John-Ross (Whitehead) 77 70 147
- T108 GRIFFIN, Eanna (Waterford) 82 68 15
