Trio of players lead Scottish Open Amateur at 3 under

Auchterarder, Scotland (Aug. 27, 2018) – Three players from around Europe share the lead after the first round of the Scottish Open Amateur at Gleneagles Golf Club. All three players dove to 3-under 67 on Monday, though the Netherlands’ Koen Kouwenaar did it most impressively with three final birdies at Nos. 16-18.

Kouwenaar, coming off a top-10 at the Dutch Amateur earlier this year, was the last of the three to grab a share of that lead. Scotsman Euan Walker and Englishman Sam Rook had earlier tee times, and helped set the pace. Rook might have been lower but for a double bogey at the par-4 10th.

Walker, who turned 23 on Monday, is hoping for a strong week before he heads off to Ireland next week as part of Scotland’s three-man team to compete for the Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championships. He saw the Kings Course the day before the tournament began, but that marked his first trip to Gleneagles.

“The front nine was definitely playing more difficult today into the wind, so I was pleased to go out in level par,” he said. “I feel I stole a shot to the field on the par-3 11th, when I hit a 3-iron into about 8 or 9 feet and holed the putt. I wasn’t expecting that but delighted to make birdie.” Rook was also pleased with his play after his opening round.

“It’s my first time playing the course and it is very nice,” he said. “I like the set-up and it suits my eye. If you hit good shots you get rewarded, and likewise, bad shots are punished.”

A group of five golfers lies one shot behind the leading trio, including Euan McIntosh, the 49-year-old who already this summer won the Leven Gold Medal and the Scottish Amateur. This year’s Xact Scottish Boys Amateur Champion, 17-year-old Connor Wilson, is also in the group at 2 under.