The fickle nature of 18 hole match play was on full display at the European Tour’s Paul Lawrie event in Scotland this week where no Australians advanced past the second round.

Andrew Dodt survived a tough match against
England’s Oliver Wilson on day one, winning at the 19^th after being
in front for 16 of the 18 holes, but was the only success story of the first
day.

Scot Hend, Marcus Fraser and Wade Ormsby
all bowed out on day one though in different circumstances.

Scott Hend lost to India’s Jeev Milka Singh
in a match the Queenslander will feel he should have won.

At 4-up through nine holes Hend looked to
have the match sewn up but Singh, one of the most experienced players in the
field, fought hard on the back nine and eventually took the 1-up victory thanks
to some brilliant golf.

Marcus Fraser faced eventual finalist
Robert Karlsson in the opening match and while the Swede played well Fraser was
in uncharacteristically poor form.

After squaring the first four holes the
Victorian lost the fifth to a birdie then made three consecutive bogeys to fall
three behind through eight.

Wins at 9 and 10 looked to have him back on
track but Karlsson hit back with a birdie at 11 then closed out the match with
another win at the 16^th.

Wade Ormsby’s match against eventual
champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat was a classic game of two halves.

The South Australian struggled on the first
nine, giving away the fifth and sixth cheaply with bogeys and losing eight to a
birdie to make the turn three down.

However, clutch birdies at 12, 15, 17 and
18 turned around a 3-down scoreline and sent the match to extra time where Aphibarnrat
eventually prevailed.

In the second round Dodt’s match with South
Africa’s Thomas Aiken could have gone either way with neither player having
more than a two hole lead at any stage.

Dodt went 2-up with a birdie at the 8th but
Aiken immediately hit back with a win at the 9th to send the match to the back
nine with Dodt 1-up.

The South African squared the match with a
par at the 13^th, Dodt hit back with a birdie at 15 but Aiken pulled
away with wins at each of the last three holes to claim the match 2-up.