Scottish Amateur Championship: Heap made to fight by Forbes
By Peter Donald
Electronic Telegraph

CRAIG HEAP, of East Kilbride, who is aiming to become the first man to retain the title since the veteran Charlie Green in the early Eighties, is through to the last eight of the Johnnie Walker Scottish Amateur Championship at Royal Dornoch.

He survived a last-green battle against international Ewan Forbes, of Turriff, and now faces the 1995 champion, Simon Mackenzie, of West Linton, in today's quarter-finals.

Heap laughed off the suggestion that Mackenzie would be determined to avenge his defeat in the fifth round last year. But the match is important for the West Linton golfer. He is still in the running to become the first player to win this event and the Scottish strokeplay title in the same year. And, after a 20th hole win over former professional Michael Buchan, of Cruden Bay, he beat youth international Lee Rhind, of Uphall, 6 & 4.

Mackenzie birdied three holes on the way to being five up at the turn and closed out his opponent by the 14th, finishing two under par for the match.

Heap, for his part, has made an impressive defence. Yesterday afternoon was the first time he had been taken to the 18th. He was always ahead, however, against Forbes after birdies at the eighth and ninth.

Seeded players will also meet in two of the other quarter-finals. Craig Watson, the 1997 Amateur champion, plays Steven O'Hara, a member of the Great Britain and Ireland team who won the St Andrews trophy, while Barry Hume, of Haggs Castle, meets fellow international David Patrick, from Mortonhall.

O'Hara lost only one hole in beating Crawford, from Glasgow, 5 & 4 and was two under par in the process.

Hume, however, had to fight back in his game against Andrew McArthur, from Windyhill. He was two down with four to play but took the next three holes in two under par and the match ended when McArthur lost a ball at the 18th.

Patrick, who has never gone beyond the fourth round, has had several tight games this week but he recaptured some of his best form in producing sub-par golf when beating another former mid-amateur champion, Mike Thomson, 3 & 2.

However, it was the end of the road for the plucky Graeme Dawson, who was born minus the lower half of his left arm and plays with a special attachment approved by the R & A.

The one-handicap six-footer, who is studying geography at St Andrews University, had to survive a mammoth 26-hole match against international Graham Fox, of West Kilbride, in the morning but then went down on the 18th green to Graham Gordon, of Newmachar, in round five.

Details SCOTTISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP (Royal Dornoch).- 3rd round: B Hume (Haggs Castle) bt M Cameron (Alyth) 3 & 2, J King (Cardross) bt S Wilson (Inverness) 4 & 3, A McArthur (Windyhill) bt C Campbell (Grantown on Spey) 1h, E Ramsay (Carnoustie) bt B Innes (Murcar) at 20th, M Thomson (Torwoodlee) bt D Watson (Dunkeld & Birnam) 8 & 6, I Cameron (Muir of Ord) bt M McAulay (Lochgilphead) at 19th, D Patrick (Mortonhall) bt D Inglis (Glencorse) 1h, N Robertson (Drumpellier) bt V Brown (Sandyhills) 3 & 2.

4th round: C Heap (East Kilbride) bt A Weir (Longniddry) 5 & 3, E Forbes (Turriff) bt S Reekie (Lundin) 7 & 6, L Rhind (Uphall) bt M Robertson (Selkirk) 5 & 4, S Mackenzie (West Linton) bt M Buchan (Cruden Bay) at 20th, A Forsyth (Muckhart) bt M Kerr (Craigmillar Park) 1h, S Wilson (Forfar) bt L Harper (Musselburgh) at 19th, G Dawson (Ranfurly Castle) bt G Fox (West Kilbride) at 26th, G Gordon (Newmacher) bt S Horne (Tulliallan) 4 & 3, S O'Hara (Colville Park) bt J Sharp (Cowal) 2 & 1, G Crawford (Glasgow) bt G Paxton (Renfrew) 5 & 3, I Brown (West Kilbride) bt P McKechnie (Hayston) 1h, C Watson (East Renfrewshire) bt I Simpson (Crow Wood) 5 & 4, McArthur bt Ramsay 2 & 1, Thomson bt Cameron 3 & 1, Hume bt King at 19th, Patrick bt N Robertson at 19th.

5th round: Heap bt Forbes 1h, Mackenzie bt Rhind 6 & 4, Wilson bt Forsyth 5 & 3, Gordon bt Dawson 1h, O'Hara bt Crawford 5 & 4, Watson bt Brown 4 & 3, Hume bt McArthur 2hs, Patrick bt Thomson 3 & 2.