Standard is set by Lawrie

PETER LAWRIE established his fourth course record on the way to a four stroke lead at the halfway stage of the First Provident Mullingar Scratch Cup yesterday. Rounds of 68 and 72 for 140 - four under par - represented fine scoring by the 22 year old Newlands player in testing, windy conditions on a fiery, tree lined stretch.

Though he has yet to be honoured at senior international level, Lawrie cannot be far from that status on current form. Three weeks ago, he won the Birr Scratch Cup after a course record second round of 62; he has also set the target of 65 at Newlands and had a record 66 at the Royal Club of Belgium earlier this season.

A reflection of difficult conditions was the fact that the cut was made at an unusually high 155 - 11 over par. All of which enhanced Lawrie's achievement in being the only player to break par for 36 holes.

His closest challenger is senior international John Morris, with two rounds of 72, followed by Richard Coughlan and youth international Andrew McCormick a shot further back. After an opening 69, McCormick had a 76, which included an outward half of 40. Problems on or around the firm, tricky greens led to five bogeys from the second to the eighth holes.

Despite the involvement of some impressive, young talent, there were notable absentees from this popular, 72 hole event. Graham Spring, Jody Fanagan, Eamonn Brady and Keith Nolan are in Woodhall Spa for a St Andrews Trophy panel session today, while Adrian Morrow, the newly crowned South of Ireland champion, decided that he needed a rest after the rigours of Lahinch.

Still, the scoring was generally good, given a windstrength that made the 330 yard sixth hole driveable while in the opposite direction the 45 bard seventh required a long wood second shot. The wind also increased the difficulty of the lengthened, 417 yard 17th, where all but the longest hitters were using a two or three iron second shot.

But there was also some decidedly odd scoring, quite apart from significant disparities in the figures for certain players, morning and afternoon. In the former context, Mount Juliet member John Curran produced wildly fluctuating scores in an afternoon round of 83.

Curran, a two handicapper, seemed likely to qualify comfortably for the final two rounds when an opening 76 was followed by an outward 38 - three over par - later in the day. And he went one over for the afternoon round after holing a 30 yard pitch for an eagle two, downwind at the 10th.

He had another two on his card for the back nine - at the short 15th, which he birdied. But, sadly for Curran, there was also an eight at the long 16th where, with a driver second shot, he topped the ball into the drain. Then came a horrendous nine at the 17th, where he was twice in the shrubbery behind the green.

Indeed the odd nature of the challenge was further exemplified by Gweedore's Ciaran McMonagle, who needed only a wedge to reach the green at the par five, 480 yard 14th in the afternoon. Getting the ball in the hole remained a problem, however, as the youth international discovered when three putting.

Against that background, Lawrie has displayed admirable composure. His opening round of 68 - he and McCormick were the only players to break 70 before lunch - contained five birdies and a lone bogey at the eighth, where he was short in two and failed to get up and down. In view of the additional length to the 11th, 17th and 18th holes, this is being treated as a new course record, replacing the 63 which Philip Walton shot while capturing this trophy in 1982.