Liang appointment highlights China’s role in world golf (4)

（People's Daily Online）  13:51, July 15, 2013  

There was more encouraging news for home supporters, when Scotsman Chris Doak finished the second round on his own at the head of the field, on 12-under par. He was delighted with two rounds of 66. And fellow-Scot Paul Lawrie was the only one of the five former British Open winners in the field to make the cut. Irishman Pádraig Harrington, like Liang Wenchong an R&A Ambassador, missed by a single stroke, and Ernie Els, the current champion, missed by two. Lawrie owed his place for the weekend to a birdie on the very last hole.

But Doak will do very well to hold his place over the weekend when the pressure starts to tell. There are a whole clutch of players just behind him on 11-under and 10-under – most of them relative unknowns like himself - but lurking on 8-under is the formidable figure of the American Phil Mickelson, who just missed out on this year’s Masters title. Mickelson is perfectly placed to mount a push towards the top of the leaderboard on Saturday – he has more experience of playing at the highest level of golf than all of the twelve players currently sitting above him put together.

One of the best features of the tournament so far has been the weather – warm and with glorious sunshine which is forecast to continue over the weekend. This is the third year that the Castle Stuart course has hosted the Scottish Open, and it will move on to Royal Aberdeen next year. The first year at Castle Stuart was blighted by rain and storms so severe that they caused landslips on the course and the tournament had to be cut short. Organisers and spectators deserve the pleasure of the fine - and rather un-Scottish - weather that has blessed them this week.