David Law has the consolation of a European Tour date to take his mind off his Walker Cup disappointment.
The Scottish amateur champion was controversially left out of the Great Britain and Ireland team to play at his home club of Royal Aberdeen next week but the alternative is an invitation to the KLM Dutch Open instead, and he’s warming up at the Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open this week.
Law’s was among a series of impressive scores from amateur international players in the field at Meldrum House, shooting a three-under first-round 67 to lie two shots behind Alan Reid and Gareth Wright.
Law said: “Obviously I will support the guys next week, but it would have been very hard for me to be there, so it will be nice to get out of Aberdeen while the Walker Cup’s on.
“Paul Lawrie tried to get me an invite into the Johnnie Walker last week and he organised this one through 4Sport, his management company.
“It will be great to play in a big European Tour event.”
The highlight of Law’s round was the eagle two at the 17th, and his round matched his opening score in last year’s Northern.
He said: “This year it could not have been more different. Today I just managed to do the job of getting it round.
“Maybe it is a sign of maturity, my course management was good.”Low score out thereAlso shooting three-under 67s were Law’s Scottish international colleagues James Byrne and James White, both of whom made their big tour debuts at Gleneagles last week.
Byrne, who played all three rounds in the Johnnie Walker Championship, needed birdies on the last three holes to recover his round from a double-bogey six on the 14th.
“The course is playing really short and there’s a low score for someone out there,” said Byrne.
White is SGU Order of Merit champion even before the last counting event this weekend and was happier than at Gleneagles, where he started nervily.
He said: “I was first out at Gleneagles on Thursday but after the fog delay we were the first golf to be seen and I’ve never played in front of a bigger crowd.
“I’ve been playing consistently well before then and I finished with four threes for par-eagle-birdie-par, so I’m still in form,” said the Fifer.
Glenbervie’s Graeme Robertson, in his first pro event, was best amateur with four-under 66, but Wright, a top-40 finisher at Gleneagles, and former Scottish Amateur Strokeplay champion Alan Reid led.
Reid finished last year’s rain-shortened event with another 65 and found the course, shortened to 6700 yards, again suited his eye.
“I don’t get as much chance to play as any of these guys so I’m not sure what I’ll do, but a third 65 in a row wouldn’t go amiss,” said the 37-year-old, whose new putting routine of one practice stroke worked well.
Another amateur, the host club’s Callum Trahan, reached the par-three 18th with a chance to take the lead at six-under but found the water with his tee-shot, and took a triple-bogey six to settle for a three-under 67.