The weather cleared miraculously for our "warm-up" round at Dalbeattie, a tricky little 9-holer tucked into some undulating hills with testing shots all along the way. After a wonderful sunny opening, a huge storm hit us - typical of the changeable weather we have had all year. Of course we played on in our true hardy manner, but fortunately the storm soon lifted and gave way to beautiful sunshine for the rest of the round. Wilson took the money…and people were already starting to chalk the odds up, circulating rumours of match fixing and asking whether it wasn't perhaps time to introduce mandatory drugs testing for the Dudley Open.

The serious business started on Saturday - in the shape of a drive up what looked like a 60 degree incline on the opening hole at Colvend, our very challenging venue for the first two rounds. The course ascends to an incredible view across the Solway, and despite the breeze the sun was out and the mood of the players vibrant. The course was originally 9 holes, and the extension to 18 makes for some holes that some would describe as "quirky" and others (depending on their score) as "diabolical", specifically a left dog leg par 5 up a steep hill known locally as the "Devil's Elbow".