British Open: Marker makes sure Haydn Porteous isn’t the odd man out at Royal Troon

Kieron Stevenson playing alongside Haydn Porteous of South Africa hits a shot on the 18th hole during the third round on day three of the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon on July 16, 2016 in TroShow more

A club golfer was thrust into the limelighton Saturday after being invited to play as a marker in the third round of the British Open at Troon in Scotland.

Honour

Kieron Stevenson, the head professional at host club Royal Troon, was given the honour of playing alongside first man out Haydn Porteous after an odd number of players made the cut.

Late call

Stevenson’s role as a “marker” did not count for anything but his presence brought balance to the start of the day’s play. Stevenson, 43, who received the call to play at around 10pm on Friday, was conscious not to get in Porteous’s way but found the experience a memorable one.

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‘Great fun’

“I played OK. I hit some good shots and bad shots. I didn’t keep score but it was great, good fun,” Stevenson said. “It was an absolute pleasure to be out with Haydn. We had some good chats out there and he was really nice to play with.” He was impressed as South African Porteous, who only just made the cut at four over after a double-bogey at the 18th on Friday, carded a superb 68. Stevenson said: “It was great to be out there with someone playing so well. He is a lovely young man and he played really good golf.”

Laughs on the course

Porteous was keen to thank his playing partner. “He’s a really nice guy and easy to talk to,” he said. “We had a good laugh and he stayed out of my way. It kept the round nice and light-hearted.”

Monty’s last stand?

Colin Montgomerie now looks like he could play his last round at a British Open by himself. The Scotsman dropped to last place this weekend after shooting 41 on the back nine for an eight-over-par 79. He is 12-over par for the week at Royal Troon, his home club and where his father was club secretary. Montgomerie said he likely will not attempt to qualify for the Open again.

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