Nairn amateur Calum Scott kept his head while others were losing theirs and eased into the closing 36-holes of the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
While Oban’s Scottish Open champion Robert MacIntyre made a gallant recovery from a calamitous start to make the cut, Scott stood firm in the boisterous conditions on the Ayrshire coast and posted a battling four-over 75.
That left Scott on a four-over aggregate and he comfortably qualified for the final two rounds in his debut appearance at a major championship.
The former Walker Cup player is now well in the hunt to land the silver medal, the prize given to the leading amateur in the field.
Over the punishing Royal Troon links, Scott’s poise and patience have been valuable attributes so far this week and those qualities were on show again yesterday as the US college student fought manfully against a formidable foe.
“It’s been mentally tough,” admitted Scott. “I think if you get caught up in the technical space or trying to do something perfect, then you’re going to get frustrated.
“Acceptance and patience are the two key things I’ve been working on this week. Sometimes it won’t go your way, but that’s just links golf.
“Part of me does feel like I can enjoy it a little bit more now that I’ve made the cut.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience, but there’s obviously another amateur in the field and my goal is to beat him and try to get the silver medal.”
With a raft of big names missing the cut and ballooning to high scores, Scott was rightly proud of his efforts in the final men’s major of the season.
He added: “I feel like in a way I have overachieved.
“But I’m playing really good this summer, and I’m just wanting to show people what I’m capable of.”
Bob MacIntyre drops eight shots in first four holes – but battles into weekend
MacIntyre endured a torrid start to his round and a triple bogey on the first was followed by a bogey on the second, a bogey on the third and another triple on the fourth.
The 27-year-old looked to be heading for an early exit, but he rolled up the sleeves, dug in and prised out four birdies coming home in a gritty 75 to haul himself inside the cut line on five-over.
“That was carnage,” he said of his chaotic start. “I was staring a 90 in the face, so I’m just proud of the way I fought to make the cut.
“The support I had out there was unbelievable.
“With that start, I felt like I was letting everyone down, not just myself, but my team and my fans. But it was just about fighting, and they helped me a long way.”
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