McLean the top Scot in Argentina

bad day for home nation in team event

Published:

PETERHEAD’S Philip McLean was the best-placed Scot in joint 31st place in a field of more than 100 after the rain-delayed second round of the Juan Tailhade Cup international men’s amateur golf tournament was completed on Saturday at Los Lagartos Golf Club in Argentina.

No play was possible on Friday due to flooding of the course.

McLean had rounds of 76 and 73 for a seven-over-par tally of 149 over the par-71 course near Buenos Aires.

One-under-par 35 to the turn in his second round after a birdie at the short seventh, McLean bogeyed the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th and had only one birdie to compensate on the inward half, at the 13th.

Scott Borrowman (Dollar) lost his top-five position by slumping from a 71 to a 79 for 150 and a share of 37th place.

Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) is sharing 48th place on 153 with scores of 74 and 79.

Armando Zarlenga (Argen-tina) leads the field on three-under-par 139 (72-67) from England’s Matthew Haines (70-71), the Lytham Trophy winner from Kent.

Scotland, with McLean and Borrowman’s scores counting, plummeted from joint third at the end of 18 holes to 13th of 14 in the international team event after two rounds with a total of 303 – 17 shots behind pacemakers Argen-tina, leaders by two from England.

Koumei Oda claimed his maiden win on the Japan Golf Tour by securing a wire-to-wire victory at the Casio World Open yesterday.

The 30-year-old fired two rounds of 66 and 67 on the first two days to move to 11 under, four strokes clear of rest of the field.

He maintained his four-stroke lead despite only managing a level-par 72 in the third round and held on for the victory after carding another 72 in the final round.

Kenichi Kuboya, who was tied for second with Yusaku Miyazato and Hirofumi Miyase at the start of the final round, shot a one-under 71 to finish alone in second place on eight under, three strokes behind Oda.