Golf round-up

Gleneagles Hotel assistant professional Sandy Smith admitted seeing his swing on video has helped put him in the picture in the #7000 MacGregor Scottish Assistants Championship.

The 24-year-old honed his game over the winter using the latest in video equipment at the Perthshire hotel's practice facility. He carded his second consecutive 69 at the Balbirnie Park course near Glenrothes to move into contention for the #1100 first prize.

Smith's four-under-par total of 138 put him in joint-second with David Drysdale of Dunbar and Fraser Cromarty of Inverness, two shots adrift of leader David Orr from East Renfrewshire.

Leader Orr was steadiness personified in his second round, sixteen pars and two birdies giving him a two-shot advantage for the final day. Qualifiers:

136 - D Orr (East Renfrewshire) 67, 69.

138 - D Drysdale (Dunbar) 69, 69; F Cromarty (Inverness) 66, 72; S Smith (Gleneagles Hotel) 69, 69.

142 - N Scott-Smith (Dullatur) 69, 73; D Kenny (East Kilbride) 70, 72; D Boyce (St Andrews Old Course Hotel) 74, 68; J Stevenson (Braehead) 72, 70; N McGill (King James VI) 70, 72.

143 - D Downie (Brunston Castle) 73, 70; S Greig (Crail) 71, 72; A Reid (Prestwick Golf Centre) 73, 70; C Fisher (East Renfrewshire) 72, 71.

144 - C Lee (Glenbervie) 69, 75; K Harrison (Whitecraigs) 74, 70.

145 - P Alexander (Caldwell) 73, 72; D Fleming (Turnberry Hotel) 75, 70; G McInnes (Murcar) 75, 70; M Buchan (Kings Links) 74, 71; S Craig (Dalziel Park) 72, 73; I Kennedy (Bonnyton) 70, 75.

146 - N Douglas (Liberton) 73, 73; G Forrester (Balbirnie Park) 72, 74; M Urquhart (Inverness) 77, 69; D McCallum (Paisley) 74, 72.

147 - J Porteous (Broomieknowe) 75, 72; D Andrews (Royal Troon) 73, 74; T Gray (Cruden Bay) 77, 70; G Lochead (Forfar) 76, 71; R Gordon (Belleisle) 70, 77; A Purdie (Bothwell Castle) 73, 74.

148 - B Williams (Montrose Links) 76, 72; S Dundas (Haggs Castle) 74, 74; A Locke (Blairgowrie) 73, 75; P Paterson (Ladybank) 73, 75; C Nugent (Tulliallan) 75, 73; E Gordon (Forres) 75, 73; B Whalen (Peterhead) 74, 74; G McFarlane (Grangemouth) 74, 74; P Malone (Kingsknowe) 73, 75; S Murray (Murcar) 75, 73; D Nelson (Roxburghe) 73, 75; G McFarlane (Loch Lomond) 75, 73; G McBain (Hollandbush) 72, 76.

Heriot Watt

dominate places

HERIOT Watt University golf scholarship students Lesley Nicholson, Hilary Monaghan, and Anne Laing, dominated the opening day of the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship at North Berwick yesterday by filling three of the first four places.

However, Angela Finlay, the 17-year-old from Broxburn who has been only third reserve for the Scottish girls team, was the talk of the clubhouse with a four-under-par round of 70 - ''the greatest round of my life'' - to be right up in joint-second place.

Curtis Cup contender Lesley Nicholson from Haddington showed the low-scoring class - she has a handicap of plus four - that could win her a place in the team to play the Americans in August when she broke the 30-year-old North Berwick course record with a five-under 69. Leading scores:

69 - L Nicholson (Heriot Watt University).

70 - A Finlay (Ratho Park), H Monaghan (Heriot Watt University).

71 - A Laing (Heriot Watt University).[ 73 A Walker (Strathaven).

74 - V Laing (Musselburgh), J Anderson (Hawick).

75 - S Wood (Aberdeen Ladies), C Malcolm (Prestwick St Cuthbert).

76 - M L Renton (Gifford), P Silver (Prestonfield), A Rose (Stirling).

77 - D Ferguson (The Glen), J Smith (Gullane).

78 - K Milne (Ladybank), J Harrison (Cruden Bay), P Mackay (Golspie), L Lloyd (Mount Ellen), P Williamson (Burnham Beeches), S McEwan (Edinburgh University).

79 - L Johnston (Gullane), L Wells (Dumfries & Co), E Moffat (St Regulus), C Divers (Douglas Park), L Mackay (Golspie).

80 - D Jackson (Cochrane Castle), L Morton (Tulliallan), S McMaster (Dunbar), E Farquharson-Black (Deeside), C Hargan (Dundee University), .

81 - T Laughland (Prestonfield), F de Vries (Baberton), S Lambie (Troon Ladies), L Roxburgh (Tain).

82 - J Jenkins (Ralston), M Pollock (Craigmillar Park), N Smith (Downfield), M Thomson (North Berwick), C Johnstone (Roxburghe), C Agnew (Eastwood), F Prior (Edinburgh University), K Burns (Clydebank & District),A Young (East Kilbride).

83 - H Laughland (Prestonfield), T Stoddart (Cawder), J Milne (Elgin), R Rankin (Lanark).

84 - M McKerrow (Dumfries & Galloway), M Ferguson (North Berwick), J Hunnam (Gullane), A Hunter (Innerleithen), P Hutton (Lanark), S Hannay (Lanark), B Murphy (Prestonfield), F Anderson (Blairgowrie).

85 - C Gruber (Royal Dornoch), W Wells (Peebles), E Clark (Manchester), R Brown (Lothianburn), D Young (North Berwick).

86 - L Vass (Tain), M Woodward (Gullane), S Coster (Hilton Park), R Dee (Kingsknowe), L Terry (Cruden Bay), L Fair (Pitreavie), K Marshall (Baberton).

87 - L Lundie (Strathaven), L McDougall (Greenock), B Livingstone (Haggs Castle), M McCarroll (Cawder) .

88 - A Torkinton (Baberton), F Farquharson (King James VI), S Penman (Gullane).

89 - M Law (Duff House Royal), L Macdonald (Hilton Park), S Hamilton (Haggs Castle), A McCarthy (The Glen).

90 - S Somerville (Cardross), J Gardner (Haggs Castle), L Caine (Merchants of Edinburgh).

91 - K Inkpen (Duns), J Mack (Haggs Castle), F Lockhart (Balbirnie Park), P Gordon (Inverness), J Watt (Gullane), K Miller (North Berwick).

92 - A Brownie (Lothianburn), E Hill (Dumfries & County), E McCormack (Cawder).

93 - M Neilson (Greenock), H Kelly (Panmure Barry).

qStrathaven professional Matt McCrorie led the Scottish challenge after the first round of the 54 Hole Scottish Life/Ben Sayers Senior Club Professional Championship at Coventry yesterday. The veteran carded a one-under 72 to trail leader Jim Rhodes by five shots. Leading scores:

67 - J. Rhodes (S. Staffs)

69 - A. O'Connor (Elm Park).

70 - T. Horton (Jersey), C. Defoy (Coombe Hill).

71 - D. Creamer (Black Bear).

72 - M. McCrorie (Strathaven), K MacDonald (retired), M. Slater (Portal Golf).

Other scores included: 74 - G Will (retd).