ANDY Sullivan rewrote the record books at the Selborne Salver, carding a magnificent morning round of 60 to shatter the tournament’s best ever score.

The competition, held at Blackmoor in north Hampshire, had never seen such scoring, with 61 cards matching or beating the par of 69.

Sullivan, the +4 man from Nuneaton, knocked in nine birdies and nine pars in brilliant matching halves of 30. He even had a 10-footer at the short ninth for a 59, but the putt lipped out.

Sullivan’s two-round total of 129 was the lowest aggregate score ever in the Salver.

Corhampton’s Neil Raymond finished second with scores of 66 and 65, for 131 – a total that would have won every Salver but this one.

A further shot behind were Stuart Phillips (Royston) and Steve Brown (Wentworth), with 64, 68 and 63, 69 respectively.

Indeed, Brown held the new course record for 15 minutes until Sullivan came in.

Winner of the New South Wales Open already this y e a r , Sullivan, 23, paid tribute to the course.

“I only hit two shots close all day,” he said.

“Most of my putts were from 15 feet or so, but they all seemed to drop, the greens were that true.”

Starting at the 10th, he birdied the 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th to be out in 30.

Then it got better, with birdies at the first, third, sixth, seventh and eighth.

“I felt so good out there,” he added. “And it was great to play with Neil and Eddie (Pepperell), who were both round in 66 and just dragged me along.”

Raymond, like Sullivan, has made the Walker Cup his goal for 2011.

And he was delighted with his scores at the weekend. “It was always going to be hard to make up six shots, but I birdied the second and seventh and then had a great eagle on the eighth, where I hit it to four feet,” he said.

“I got within a couple with a two at the 12th, but I hit a bad drive at the long 13th to take six and, even though I birdied the 16th, Andy was in control.”

Fifth, on 133 (67, 66) was Richard Prophet (Sandwell Park), one shot clear of the trio of Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale), the Walker Cupper and 2008 Salver champion, Andrew Palmer (Chorley) and Pepperell (Drayton Park).

The 2005 champion, Ryan Henley (Stoneham) shot 67, 68.

Hampshire’s Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle) shot a morning 72, but then showed his pedigree with a fine 66 for 138, two clear of Simon Butts and three ahead of Mark Burgess, the 2009 winner.

Jon Watt (Brokenhurst Manor) carded 72, 69, but clubmate Martin Young had a bad day, with 73, 78.

Splitting them was Hayling’s Colin Walsh, with 77 and 70.

Defending champion Sam Claridge (Harpenden Common), with 74, 72, finished 14 strokes off his 2010 score.