Jamie McLeary and Callum Macaulay to the fore in Russia

A ROUND of 67 saw Jamie McLeary lead a Scottish one-two on the opening day of the inaugural M2M Russian Challenge Cup.

McLeary made light weather of the wet and windy playing conditions at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club, on the outskirts of Moscow, to move to five-under-par.

The Edinburgh resident is one shot clear of compatriot Callum Macaulay, whose 68 was the only bogey-free round of the day, and Frenchman Edouard Dubois.

Like a number of players in the field, McLeary has targeted an improved performance at the €175,000 event in a bid to bolster his current Ranking position of 57th. His 67 was the lowest round of a Challenge Tour campaign which, according to McLeary, has been a good deal better than the bare results would suggest.

He said: "It's only the first day so I'm not going to get too carried away, but it's always good to get off to a decent start. I've actually played pretty well this season - probably better than last year, in fact - I just haven't been able to put it together for four rounds in a row. Hopefully this week's different, because I need a decent result to push my way into the top 45 of the Rankings to qualify for the Grand Final."

That's also the aim for Macaulay, who was delighted to keep the bogeys off the card in his round of 68 - largely because his dad has been reminding him that it has been a while since he achieved the feat.

"It's the first time I've managed that for a long time, and my Dad's not shy of bring it up! That was all I was thinking about on my last hole, the ninth, which was playing straight into the wind and rain. I hit a great 5-wood with my second shot which fell just short of the green, but I managed to get up and down from the rough, which was a huge relief."

Closer to home, David Patrick completed a successful defence of his Scottish Young Professionals' title at West Lothian last night.

The former European Challenge Tour winner posted a pair of two-under 69s on the final day for a five-under 279 and won the 1000 top prize by seven shots from Chris Robinson of Dumfries & Galloway.

Leading by a stroke heading into the closing 36-holes, Patrick cemented his place at the top with a third-round 69 before signing off with another two-under round that was highlighted by an eagle-3 on the 12th.

Williamson finished with a 72 and a 67 to grab the runners-up spot on 286.