Chip-ins and slam dunks galore in wild weather

Marc Warren slam-dunked his approach on the 19th to edge out Tyrell Hatton, but David Howell looked the best player on the course in the afternoon session of the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play.

Some spectacular golf under foreboding skies, Murcar Links threw every weather imaginable at the players this afternoon. Wind, sun, squalls and torrential rain – which came in sideways at times - only for the day to finish again in beautiful, streaming sunshine.

It seemed as if the match play format was bringing out the best in the golf though, as balls were flying in the hole from every which way imaginable.

Englishman David Howell held firm against Chris Wood in the second match. Hugely impressive in the conditions, Howell hit green after green in regulation and piled the pressure on Wood. Howell got in on the fun and holed out for an eagle on the short 11th and from then on it proved too much for Wood to fight back.

In the first match Karlsson was also holing out from all angles, and local favourite Richie Ramsay just couldn’t keep up. Karlsson holed a long putt on 16 to put it out of reach for Ramsay, and he eventually won by 1 hole on the last.

Hoey, who had been won easily in the mornings play, continued his run of form and was 3-up after 5 holes in his match against the Thai Aphibarnrat. But the player with the best name in the tournament came back to eventually win 2&1 against the head and book his place in the semi-finals.

But it was in the last match between Scot Marc Warren and the in-form Tyrell Hatton where there were chip-ins galore.

“One of the most bizarre matches I’ve ever been involved in” - Marc Warren

Early on both players were chipping in to contribute to a fiercely fought battle. Warren was 3-down after 5 holes, and received some physio treatment for a bad back on the 6th before fighting back and was 1-up going down the last.

Up against it, Hatton holed out yet again with a chip-and-run from beside a greenside bunker to take the game down the 19th. Warren then holed out his approach with the shot-of-the-day for an eagle to clinch the match, and was promptly handed a glass of champagne to celebrate by someone in the crowd.

Quarter Final Results

Karlsson beat Ramsay 1-up

Howell beat Wood 5&4

Aphibarnrat beat Hoey 2&1

Warren beat Hatton 1-up

Semi-final line-up

08.30: Robert Karlsson (Swe) v David Howell (Eng)

08.45: Marc Warren (Scot) v Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha)

Quite good this Match Play lark. Bring it on.