SALTMAN TWO CLEAR AHEAD OF FINAL ROUND

Scotsman six under par at Visit Egypt Tour Championship in El Gouna, Red Sea

Image: PGA

Elliot Saltman will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Visit Egypt Tour Championship after carding a one-under-par 71 on a windy and testing second round at El Gouna Golf Club, taking his tournament score to -6.

Alex Wrigley (Hartlepool Golf Club), Nick McCarthy (Moortown Golf Club) and James Frazer (Pennard Golf Club) share second on four under after second rounds of 71, 72, and 72 respectively.

Saltman (Archerfield Links Golf Club) began the day one clear on -5 and advanced to -7 with birdies at two and five before slipping back with a double bogey on the eighth. Birdies at nine, 11 and 16 followed but bogeys at 12 and 17 restricted him to -6.

The Scot currently sits 13^th on the Race To El Gouna and while a win would see him secure a category on the 2015 Challenge Tour, second place may also be enough for Saltman to move into the all-important top five.

“I played well again today and got off to a good start,” reflected the leader. “I hit a bad tee shot into the water on eight and made six but made birdies at nine and 11. I got my club selection wrong on 12 and made bogey. I held in and had a couple more chances and managed to birdie 16. It was a poor tee shot on the 17^th. 

“It was tough conditions with the wind. We have one more round to go and I need to try and do the same things I have for the last couple of days.

“The wind makes a big difference, the course is playing really, really tough. If you just miss the greens the lies can be tricky. It has to be fairways and greens.”

Behind leader Saltman and the three players two back on -4, Darryn Lloyd (Toft Hotel), Laurie Canter (Saltford Golf Club) and James Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club) share seventh on three under par.

The Visit Egypt Tour Championship is a 54-hole strokeplay event, with the final round taking place on Friday, October 31. Only the top 60 on the Race To El Gouna after the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s 16 regular-season events were invited. A two-hour highlights package of the event will be broadcast on Sky Sports HD on Tuesday, November 11.

At the conclusion of the event the top five golfers on the Race To El Gouna, who are not otherwise exempt, will earn a category on the 2015 Challenge Tour.

HOTELPLANNER.COM PGA EUROPRO TOUR: SALTMAN LEADS IN EL GOUNA

Scotsman one ahead after five-under opener in Visit Egypt Tour Championship

Elliot Saltman leads the Visit Egypt Tour Championship by one stroke on five under par after the opening round of the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour season finale at El Gouna Golf Club in El Gouna, Red Sea.

The Scot shot a 67 on day one and is one clear of the six golfers tied for second on four under. With a £15,000 top prize from the £60,000 prize fund, the winner will add crucial money to their Race To El Gouna standings. The top five not otherwise exempt on the Race To El Gouna at the end of the event will earn a Challenge Tour card for 2015.

Peter Tarver-Jones currently lies second on the Race To El Gouna and is one of the six tied second on four under. James Robinson also carded a first-round 68 and with William Harrold now out of the Race To El Gouna having made one start short of the required five, Robinson moves from sixth to fifth place. A strong finish this week will should see him secure his Challenge Tour card for 2015.

Sixth place may be enough with Race To El Gouna leader Jack Senior likely to earn an exemption through his performance on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit. Alex Belt, Nick McCarthy, James Frazer and Paul Shields are also four under and each could earn a promotion to Europe’s second-tier tour if they perform well this week.

Leader Saltman said: “I started off well with birdie, birdie which was nice. I then birdied the sixth – a par four which you can get quite close to. I managed to birdie nine with driver, three-wood so I turned four under.

“I bogeyed ten with a three putt but kept my wits about me and managed to birdie the par five at 13. I birdied the last as well and it was nice to finish with a birdie and get to five under.

“It is a great golf course, really, really good. It is a really good test. I have been playing really well the last three or four weeks back home trying to prepare for this. It is a nice place to come. It is the first time I have ever been to Egypt and it is nice to come here and the course is in great condition.”

The Visit Egypt Tour Championship is a 54-hole strokeplay event, with the final round taking place on Friday, October 31. Only the top 60 on the Race To El Gouna after the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s 16 regular-season events were invited. A two-hour highlights package of the event will be broadcast on Sky Sports HD on Tuesday, November 11.