RYAN FITZPATRICK FINDS
PUTTING SECRET FOR
FIRST WIN AT PETERHEAD

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Inchmarlo Golf Centre assistant professional Ryan Fitzpatrick, now a fully qualified PGA pro, has been experimenting with cack-hunting putting lately. Anything to change his luck on the greens.
Well, his luck certainly changed at Peterhead today when he headed a field of 85 in bright but latterly very cold conditions with a three-under-par round of 67. It was 27-year-old Ryan’s first win of the 2006-2007 North-east Alliance season.
“The funny thing about my putting today,” said Ryan, “was that I missed quite a few birdie putts of about six to eight feet. On the other hand, I holed four putts from 20 to 40ft range.”
Fitzpatrick turned in level par 35 with birdies at the fourth and eighth being cancelled out by bogeys at the sixth and ninth. When a third bogey, at the 10th, put him one over par, it looked like being another disappointing day, which had started with his intended partners failing to turn up on the first tee.
Then Ryan’s putting suddenly clicked and he started slotting them home from all angles. He birdied the 11th, 13th 15th and 16th, to come home in three-under-par 32 for his 67.
LONG-TIME CLUBHOUSE LEADER
That pipped long-time clubhouse leader, Iain Buchan (Craibstone Centre) by one shot. Iain had made his score the other way round from Fitzpatrick, covering the first nine in three-under-par 32 with birdies at the second, third, fifth and eighth and one bogey at the fourth.
Coming home, Buchan had bogeys at the 13th and 14th and only one birdie, at the 15th in 36 home for a 68.
It turned out to be a professional 1-2-3 with Kemnay’s Ronnie McDonald shooting a 70 for third place despite running up a double bogey 6 at the fourth and dropping to three over par with a bogey at the seventh.
McDonald got his first birdie at the ninth to be out in two-over 37, which dipped to three-over with a 5 at the 12th. Then he covered the last five holes in two over par with birdie 3rs at the 14th, 15th and 17th for 33 home.
IAN BRATTON ON HOLIDAY
So what happened to Newburgh club pro Ian Bratton who had won five of the earlier meetings this season? Well, he did not play this week - for the simple reason he is on holiday.
That gave the rest of the guys a break!
The pace of play was quite good at Peterhead - a field of 85 all back in the clubhouse by the back of 4pm. Walking smartly between shots keeps you warm in cold temperatures. Keep up the good work at Buckpool next Wednesday!

LEADING SCRATCH SCORES

Par 70 (p denotes professional; ap, assistant professional; s, senior).

67 R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) ap.
68 I Buchan (Craibstone) p.
70 R McDonald (Kemnay) p.
71 R Pirie (Caledonian), F Bisset (Banchory)..
72 C Nelson (MacKenzie Club) p, S Finnie (Caledonian), B Ritchie (Inverallochy).
73 A Campell (Deeside), E Kennedy (Stonehaven), S Davidson (Banchory) p, W S Urquhart (Murcar Links) s.
74 R Stewart (Cruden Bay) p, N Murray (Cruden Bay) p, T Mathieson (Murcar Links), R Hyland (Newmachar).
75 G Ingram (Inverurie), C Carnegie (Kemnay), J Morris (Craibstone), S Fraser (Northern), D Garrett (Huntly), S Scott (Auchmiill).
76 D McGlachan (Inverurie), S Troup (Kings Links) ap, K Smith (Aboyne), N Parker (Murcar Links).
77 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), B Harper (Newburgh), L Barbour (Cruden Bay), R L Nicoll (Murcar Links) s, J M Hamilton (Murcar Links).
78 A Petrie (Oldmeldrum).
80 K Davidson (Turriff), F G Gray (Deeside) s, D Wilson (Duff House Royal), N Reid (Deeside) ap.
81 J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), R Penny (Portlethen), S Chalmers (Banchory) ap, A Swift (Auchmill), D Leighton (Murcar Links).
82 M Lawrie (Kemnay), D Corkey (East Aberdeenshire).
83 F Barclay (Kintore), P Farnan (Royal Aberdeen) s, G Homer (Lumphanan).


LEADING HANDICAP RETURNS

Class 1 – F Bisset (Banchory) (4) 67; R Pirie (Caledonian) (3) 68; D McGlachan (Newburgh) (7), C Cassie (Nigg Bay) (8), K Smith (Aboyne) (7) 69; J Morris (Craibstone) (5), B Ritchie (Inverallochy) (2), N Parker (Murcar Links) (6) 70; W S Urquhart (Murcar Links) s (2), G Ingram (Inverurie) (4), B Harper (Newburgh) (6), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (7) 71; S Finnie (Caledonian) (scr), R Scott (Auchmill) (3), R L Nicoll (Murcar Links) s (5); J M Hamilton (Murcar Links) (5), K Davidson (Turriff) (8) 72; A Campbell (Deeside) (scr), E Kennedy (Stonehaven) (scr), C Carnegie (Kemnay) (2), D Garrett (Huntly) (2) 73; S Fraser (Northern) (1) 74.


Class 2 – D Wood (Newburgh) (14) s 70; R Alison (Deeside) (13) s, G Homer (Lumphanan (12) 71; P Cornfield (Auchmill) (11); I Strachan (Royal Aberdeen) (11) 73; J Penny (Huntly) (12) 74; C Hood (Alford) (10), K Duncan (Cruden Bay) (12); J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) (14) s, G Travis (Auchmill) (15), R Addison (Newburgh) (18) s 76; D Randall (Banchory) s (11), G Kennedy (Meldrum House) (13) 79; J Robb (Turriff) (11), D Lawrie (Inchmarlo) (12) 80; J Short (Murcar Links) (14) 81; J Jones (Craibstone) (10) s, I Grant (Huntly) (18) 85.

LEADING SCORECARDS

Peterheard par 70:

OUT: 4-3-4-4-4-3-4-5-4-35.
IN: 3-4-4-4-4-4-3-4-5-35

RYAN FITZPATRICK 67
OUT: 4-3-4-3-4-4-4-4-5-35
IN: 4—3-3-4-4-3-2-4-5-32

IAIN BUCHAN 68
OUT: 4-2—3-5-3-3-4-4-4-32
IN: 3-4-5-5-4-3-3-4-5-36

RONNIE McDONALD 70
OUT: 4-3-4-6-4-3-5-5-3-37
IN: 3-4-5-4-3-3-3-3-5-33

FERGUS BISSET 71
OUT: 4-3-4-4-4-4-5-6-4-38
IN: 2-3-5-4-4-4-4-3-4-33

ROY PIRIE 71
OUT: 6-3-4-4-5-3-4-4-4-37
IN: 2-4-4-3-4-5-3-4-5-34

LEADING ORDER OF MERIT (Scratch) PLACINGS
(At the end of 2006)
1 IAN BRATTON (Newburgh) 0.6
2 TERRY MATHIESON (Murcar Links) 0-7.
3 GARY ESSON (Portlethen) 1.3.
4 DEAN YATES (Newmachar) 1.4.
5 STEWART FINNIE (Caledonian) 1.8.
6 NEIL MURRAY (Cruden Bay 2.2.
6 COLIN NELSON (MacKenzie Club) 2.5.
8 IAIN BUCHAN (Craibstone) 2.3.
9 BILLY MAIN (Murcar Links) 2.4.
10 ANDREW CAMPBELL (Deeside) 2.6.
11 STEWART DAVIDSON (Banchory) 2.7.
12 CRAIG STEPHEN (Meldrum Hosue) 2.8.
13 DAVID CORKEY (East Aberdeenshire) 2.9.
14 PATRICK LOVIE (Inchmarlo) 3.2.
15 RONNIE McDONALD (Kemnay) 3.4.
16 RYAN FITZPATRICK (Inchmarlo) 3.6.
17 NICK REID (Deeside) 3.7.
18 BRIAN RITCHIE (Inverallochy) 3.9.
19 ROBBIE STEWART (Cruden Bay) 3.9.
20 EUAN KENNEDY (Stonehaven) 4.0.
21 RICHARD HYLAND (Newmachar) 4.2.


ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com