Five players share the lead on two-under-par 68 and another eight are breathing down their necks from the 69 mark at the halfway stage of PGA Scotland's Tain-Brora 36-hole Challenge.
The first round was over the par 70 Tain and setting the pace as the field moves up to Brora, the most northerly venue for the Tartan Tour, are Jonathan Cliff (Murrayfield), Ross MacLeod (Clydeway Golf), Chris Kelly (Cawder), Gareth Wright (West Linton) and Craig Ronald (Carluke).
Kelly would have been the clear leader, possibly, but for a double bogey 6 at the sixth. His bag of six birdies was the biggest of the day and the Cawder man finish well with birdie 2s at the 16th and 17th.
MacLeod could also have been No 1 on his o wn but for a bogey-bogey finish
First prize is £1,103 and easier to name the Grand National winner than predict who will step up to collect the four-figure cheque at the conclusion of this popular two-rounder in the far North.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Tain Golf Club
Par 70
68 J Cliff (Murrayfield), R MacLeod (Clydeway Golf), C Kelly (Cawder), G Wright (West Linton), C Ronald (Carluke).
69 T Dingwall (Nairn Dunbar), N Henderson (Renaissance), C Robinson (Portpatrick Dunskey), D Orr (Mearns Castle), G Fox (Clydseway Golf), G Hutcheon (Banchory), P O'Hara (Clydeway Golf), G Law (Uphall).
70 C Lawson (Wellsgreen), S Gray (Hayston).
71 G Paston (Ralston), G Brown (Montrose Links), G Smith (Gleneagles Hotel), J Lomax (Caprington), Emma Fairnie (Gullane), J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), K Hutton (Downfield), S Taylor (Bothwell Castle), S Herald (Mearns Castle), S Henderson (Kings Links).
72 J McGhee (unatt), A Crerar (Panbmure), T Mathieson (Murcar Links), S Lamb (Macdonald Cardrona), C Everet (Caldwell), C Gordon (Edinburgh GC), I Anderson (Colville Park), J Gallagher (Douglas Park)
73 S Morrison (Tain), S Fay (Royal Dornoch), G Hillson (Dunbar), C Currie (Caldwell), P Wardell (Whitekirk).
74 M Thomson (Panmure), A Munro (Musselburgh)
75 R McConnachie (Peterculter), M Patterson (Kilmacolm), N Colquhoun (Mercahnts of Edinburgh), P Affleck (unatt), A Duncan (unatt), F Clarke (Newmachar), C Marr (Musselburgh).
76 J Dick (Duddingston), P Wailson (Cawder), R Munro (Duddingston), K Baxter (Buchanan Castle), K McNicoll (Gullane), G Dingwall (Royal Dornoch).
77 S Bissett (unatt), S Costello (Strathaven), S Savage (Dalmuir)
78 E Macpherson (Auchterarder), J Brown (Cathcart Castle), P Brookes (Pitreavie), C McMaster (Panmure).
79 G McBain (Gamola Golf)
80 N Christie (Carnoustie Links)
82 M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy).
83 K McNiven (Gleneagle Hotel), R Holt (unatt)
87 L Burnett (Mearns Castle).
