Scott Gibson produced an inspirational performance at Princes on the Kent coast to storm in the matchplay phase of the Amateur Championship.
The 20-year-old East Tennessee State University student fired a stunning four under-par 68 for a 141 aggregate to grab a place among the eight seeds alongside fellow Scot Graeme Robertson they led seven Scottish qualifiers into the knockout stages.
Gibson, the former Scottish schools champion from Southerness, started well as he picked up a stroke at the second, courtesy of a six-foot putt and at the short eighth he put his tee shot with a six iron to within five inches of the pin on his way to the turn in 34.
His only dropped stroke was at the 10th where he failed with an eight-foot putt and his six iron approach did not make the putting surface.
The highlight of his round was an eagle three at the 505-yard 15th where he canned a 30-foot putt and he capped a memorable round with a birdie three on the 16th, courtesy of a 25-foot putt.
“I struck the ball really well today. I hit the first nine greens in regulation and I finished strongly which was encouraging,” said Gibson.
Glenbervie’s Robertson returned a 70 at Princes with halves of 34 and 36, bogeying just two holes the ninth and 14th and he and Gibson ended the strokeplay phase just one stroke behind top qualifiers Craig Hinton and Adrian Meronk.
Scottish champion Grant Forrest, of Craigielaw, who missed the cut on his only previous Amateur appearance, kept his head to qualify on 146 after a 74 yesterday at Deal, although his back nine contained four bogeys mainly through indifferent driving.
Fraser McKenna, of Balmore, Eamon Bradley, of Mount Ellen, Alexander Culverwell, of Dunbar, and MacDonald’s Adam Dunton are among other Scots to qualify but there was disappointment for Lawrence Allen, of Alva, who had a steady 73 on Monday but blew it with an 80. Greig Marchbank and Gordon Stevenson just missed out by a stroke.
Seventy-two players qualified for the knockout phase and were led by England international Craig Hinton and Poland’s Adam Meronk on140, three under par.This means there will be eight first round matches this morning to reduce the field to 64.