Matthew and Hannah lead RandA Scholars 

after fog reduces tournament to 36 holes

Birmingham University student Matthew Bacon and Hannah McCook (Stirling University) from Nethy Bridge, near Grantown on Spey lead the men's and women's scoreboards after the first round of the R&A Foundation Scholars' annual golf tournament at St Andrews, writes Colin Farquharson

What should have been a 54-hole competition with two rounds over the Eden course and a final 18 holes at the Castle Course had to be truncated to a two-round competition after the East Coast fog which affected the Ladies Tartan Tour event at Montrose and the Scottish boys championship at Dunbar ruled out play at St Andrews until it was too late to fit in the scheduled two rounds.

One round was completed at the Eden and the tournament will end with a second round at the Castle Course on Tuesday morning.

Bacon shot a six-under-par 64 to surge two strokes clear of the men's field with 18 holes to play

His nearest challenger on 66 is Stirling student and Swiss international Mathias Eggenberger who was joint winner of the Scottish students' title at Lossiemouth last week.

Joint third on 68 are Stuart Grehan (Maynooth) and James Wilson (Stirling).

Craig Howie (Stirling) is lying fifth overnight on 69

Grantown on Spey Golf Club member McCook also has a two-stroke advantage over the women's smaller field going into the final round.

She shot a four under par 69 off the women's tees at the Eden.

Paloma Nunez Augsburger (St Andrews) comes next on 71.

Joint third on 72 are Paula Grant (Ulster), the former Irish womens amateur champion who is bidding to complete a hat-trick, having won this title in 2013 and again in 2014, Jessica Ross (Queens, Belfast) and Gemma Batty (Stirling).

MEN- FIRST ROUND SCORES
Eden Course Par 70

1	BACON, Matthew	Birmingham				64
2	EGGENBERGER, Mathias	Stirling				66
T3	GREHAN, Stuart	Maynooth				68
T3	WILSON, James	Stirling				68
5	HOWIE, Craig	Stirling				69
T6	MCCLEAN, Matthew	Ulster				70
T6	DAVIDSON, Andrew	Stirling	Par	70		70
T6	RAJ, Aman	India	Par	70		70
T6	CAMPIGLI, Filippo	Italy	Par	70		70
T6	POPPLETON, Nicholas	Callington	Par	70		70
T6	SHARVIN, Cormac	Stirling	Par	70		70
T6	MCDONALD, Jack	Stirling	Par	70		70
T6	WILSON, Andrew	Northumbria	Par	70		70
T6	HURLEY, Gary	Maynooth	Par	70		70
T15	MACLEAN, Christopher	Stirling	+1	71		71
T15	CHALMERS, Craig	Strathclyde	+1	71		71
T15	TOMLINSON, Henry	Stirling	+1	71		71
T15	CARRICK, Angus	Stirling	+1	71		71
T15	PRICE, Grant	Durham	+1	71		71
T20	HOWARD, Mike	Edinburgh	+2	72		72
T20	LEON, Gonzalo	St Andrews	+2	72		72
T22	LAM, Steven	Birmingham	+3	73		73
T22	GARBIN, Giacomo	Italy	+3	73		73
T22	GLENN, James	Durham	+3	73		73
T22	LOFTUS, Declan	Maynooth	+3	73		73
T22	ITEN, Marco	Stirling	+3	73		73
T22	BOOTH, Louis	Plymouth	+3	73		73
T28	JOHNSTON, Chris	Exeter	+4	74		74
T28	WILDMAN, Nick	Exeter	+4	74		74
T28	FLEMING, Chris	Exeter	+4	74		74
T28	DAWSON, Robin	Maynooth	+4	74		74
T28	STUBBS, Alex	Brighton	+4	74		74
T33	MASSEY, Cameron	Central Lancashire	+5	75		75
T33	MCCARRON, Kyle	Maynooth	+5	75		75
T33	HAYES, Matthew	Northumbria	+5	75		75
T33	THOMPSON, Rhys	Myerscough	+5	75		75
T33	EDGAR, Colin	Stirling	+5	75		75
T38	SHELLEY, Jack	Liverpool John Moores	+6	76		76
T38	HILL, Matt	Loughborough	+6	76		76
T38	THURSBY, Chris	Central Lancashire	+6	76		76
41	GRIBBEN, Ryan	Ulster	+7	77		77
42	GORMAN, Luke	Birmingham	+9	79		79
T43	CARNEAL, Brian	Durham	+10	80		80
T43	BOUZABIA, Sami	Durham	+10	80		80
45	BRODERS, Karlis	Latvia	+12	82		82
46	BRITTAN, Max	Durham	+13	83		83

WOMEN' SCORES - FIRST ROUND
Eden Course, Par 73

1	MCCOOK, Hannah	Stirling	-4	69		69
2	NUNEZ AUGSBURGER, Paloma	St Andrews	-2	71		71
T3	GRANT, Paula	Ulster	-1	72		72
T3	ROSS, Jessica	Queens, Belfast	-1	72		72
T3	BATTY, Gemma	Stirling	-1	72		72
T6	BORIN, Barbara	Italy	+1	74		74
T6	HOLDEN, Hannah	Sheffield	+1	74		74
8	NEWLOVE, Emma	Birmingham	+3	76		76
9	BRAIN, Miranda	St Andrews	+5	78		78
10	ACQUARONE, Camilla	Genoa, Italy	+9	82		82
11	HASLAM, Molly	Exeter	+10	83		83