A club golfer was thrust into the limelight on Saturday after being invited to make up the numbers for the Open Championship's third round.
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.
The 43-year-old's role as a 'marker' did not count for anything but his presence brought balance to the start of the day's play.
Stevenson, who received the call to play at around 10pm on Friday, was conscious not to get in Porteous' way but found the experience a memorable one.
He said: "I played okay. I hit some good shots and bad shots. I didn't keep score but it was great, good fun.
"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."
Stevenson hails from neraby Ayr and has been at Royal Troon for nine years, during which time he has recorded a hole-in-one at the famous Postage Stamp eighth hole. His past jobs include stints at recent US Open venue Oakmont and 2014 Ryder Cup venue Gleneagles.
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."
It has been an unforgettable first Open for Porteous, who briefly led on day one after a blistering outward 30 that included two eagles.
He was again on form early on, hitting four birdies on the outward nine, and he added three more coming home. The 18th again undid him, however, and he finished with another six to end at one over.
Porteous, 22, said: "There was no cut to be made, I'd made it through to the weekend, so I thought hit driver everywhere, be a little more aggressive than I was during the first two rounds and it paid off.
"It was just an awesome experience to be here during the weekend. Let's hope for a decent round tomorrow and hopefully I can move my way even more up the scoreboard."
Porteous was also keen to thank his playing partner.
"He's a really nice guy and easy to talk to," Porteous said of Stevenson. "We had a good laugh and he stayed out of my way. It kept the round nice and light-hearted."
Source: PA
