Double trouble for Fox

How can a man shoot 60 around Mullingar and then take 85 on the Challenge Tour? It’s one of golf’s mysteries.

One minute Noel Fox is near the pointy end of the field in the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club. The next he’s leaving the golf course wondering what the hell happened (strait-jacket optional).

After starting double bogey-birdie the Dubliner ran up no fewer than five consecutive double bogeys from the seventh. Perhaps there was an injury involved? After shooting 14 over par, I doubt anyone asked if he was okay.

Fox fell from 13th to 144th as a result and Lurgan’s Gareth Shaw fared just as poorly with an 80 leaving him a shot worse than the Fox on 14 over.

They had company on their way to the airport with Mick McGeady (75), Colm Moriarty (72) and Peter O’Keeffe (75) all missing the four over par cut by a shot after late bogeys.

Jonny Caldwell made it by one after a 72 which left Simon Thornton as the pick of the bunch, five shots behind leader Jamie McLeary on one under thanks to a 69.