TAIN PAIR 1-2 IN HANDICAP
CLASS 1 OF NORTH ALLIANCE
MEETING AT WICK
By ROBIN WILSON
Tain pair Alec Gunn and Mike Keay were first and second handicap winners in the North Alliance fixture at Wick on Sunday with Gunn scoring better over the last nine holes but Keay using his fine net 68 moved ahead in the run in for the Mackintosh Salver.
Keay, the nine hole Tarbat golf course green keeper, now has two net scores of 68 from Caithness venues, one each at Reay and Wick, to add to his 69 at Invergordon and 71 at Tain for a total of 276, two ahead of Helmsdale’s Graham Grant after Grant made no improvement to his Caithness returns at Wick. Keay’s club mate Steve Holmes reduced his aggregate by one stroke with a 71 at Wick to remain in third place on 281.
Gunn’s gross score of 75 (37/38), mostly compiled from fours and fives had just the one double bogey at the 16th where the blown beach sand onto the fairway made the second shot that little bit more hazardous, finished one ahead of Keay, who double bogied the 13th in halves of 37 and 39 but with the added handicap stroke they both shared net 68’s with Gunn’s birdie at the 10th separating them into first and second place.
FAMILIAR NAMES
The Caithness top duo, Doug Thorburn and Wick’s Ron Taylor were again familiar names at the top of the scratch returns. Both grossed two over par 71’s with Taylor edging out Thorburn on the inward half count, Taylor 35 to his rival’s 36.
Thurso’s Thorburn was one of the players complaining bitterly about the pin positions that he blamed for missing a short birdie putt on the 10th hole and then four putting the par three 14th green. His final birdie at the 18th came too late.
Taylor did well to complete his round as he was carrying an energy sapping flu bug but after a lost ball at the at the 12th he found inner strength from a birdie at the next hole to get him home in 35 and his gross 71 improved and increased his Scratch Quaich lead to three shots over Thorburn. Taylor now 283 and Thorburn remaining on 286 with Tain’s Munro Ferries in third place some distance back on 291.
Ferries enjoyed a good outward nine holes of level par 35 but began dropping shots on the inward half with a plugged ball at the second inward hole, the par three 11th which brought about a double bogey five. In an unusual wind and poor light conditions Ferries found difficulty judging distance and on the several occasions he came up short of the putting surfaces to leave himself tricky par saving putts. It all added to a disappointing inward 38 and 73, one ahead of his brother Billy who had to contend with a lost ball as early as the second hole.
FIXTURE OVER STRUIE COURSE
The fixture this weekend will be at the Struie Course in Dornoch after its due date January was exchanged with Brora. The Struie course has dried out and a full length course has been promised.
Leading returns:
SCRATCH
71 R. W. Taylor (Wick) (36/35), D. Thorburn (Thurso) (35/36). 73 M. Ferries (Tain). 74 B. Ferries (Tain), D.A. MacKay (Reay). 75 C. Ilett (Tain) W. Murray (Wick) R. Matheson (Thurso), A. Gunn (Tain), L. Parnell (Reay). 76 M. Keay (Tain), S. Holmes (Tain). 77 W. Taylor (Wick), R. MacDonald (Reay), S. Cowie (Thurso).
HANDICAP
Class 1 – A. Gunn (Tain) (7), M. Keay (Tain) (8) 68. W. Murray (Wick) (6), K. Lorimer (Brora) (9) 69. G. Gunn (Reay) (10) 71. Class 2 – D. Gray (Reay) (11) 66. S. Ross (Thurso) (20) 69. A. Williamson (Thurso) (18) 70.
CLASS 1 OF NORTH ALLIANCE
MEETING AT WICK
By ROBIN WILSON
Tain pair Alec Gunn and Mike Keay were first and second handicap winners in the North Alliance fixture at Wick on Sunday with Gunn scoring better over the last nine holes but Keay using his fine net 68 moved ahead in the run in for the Mackintosh Salver.
Keay, the nine hole Tarbat golf course green keeper, now has two net scores of 68 from Caithness venues, one each at Reay and Wick, to add to his 69 at Invergordon and 71 at Tain for a total of 276, two ahead of Helmsdale’s Graham Grant after Grant made no improvement to his Caithness returns at Wick. Keay’s club mate Steve Holmes reduced his aggregate by one stroke with a 71 at Wick to remain in third place on 281.
Gunn’s gross score of 75 (37/38), mostly compiled from fours and fives had just the one double bogey at the 16th where the blown beach sand onto the fairway made the second shot that little bit more hazardous, finished one ahead of Keay, who double bogied the 13th in halves of 37 and 39 but with the added handicap stroke they both shared net 68’s with Gunn’s birdie at the 10th separating them into first and second place.
FAMILIAR NAMES
The Caithness top duo, Doug Thorburn and Wick’s Ron Taylor were again familiar names at the top of the scratch returns. Both grossed two over par 71’s with Taylor edging out Thorburn on the inward half count, Taylor 35 to his rival’s 36.
Thurso’s Thorburn was one of the players complaining bitterly about the pin positions that he blamed for missing a short birdie putt on the 10th hole and then four putting the par three 14th green. His final birdie at the 18th came too late.
Taylor did well to complete his round as he was carrying an energy sapping flu bug but after a lost ball at the at the 12th he found inner strength from a birdie at the next hole to get him home in 35 and his gross 71 improved and increased his Scratch Quaich lead to three shots over Thorburn. Taylor now 283 and Thorburn remaining on 286 with Tain’s Munro Ferries in third place some distance back on 291.
Ferries enjoyed a good outward nine holes of level par 35 but began dropping shots on the inward half with a plugged ball at the second inward hole, the par three 11th which brought about a double bogey five. In an unusual wind and poor light conditions Ferries found difficulty judging distance and on the several occasions he came up short of the putting surfaces to leave himself tricky par saving putts. It all added to a disappointing inward 38 and 73, one ahead of his brother Billy who had to contend with a lost ball as early as the second hole.
FIXTURE OVER STRUIE COURSE
The fixture this weekend will be at the Struie Course in Dornoch after its due date January was exchanged with Brora. The Struie course has dried out and a full length course has been promised.
Leading returns:
SCRATCH
71 R. W. Taylor (Wick) (36/35), D. Thorburn (Thurso) (35/36). 73 M. Ferries (Tain). 74 B. Ferries (Tain), D.A. MacKay (Reay). 75 C. Ilett (Tain) W. Murray (Wick) R. Matheson (Thurso), A. Gunn (Tain), L. Parnell (Reay). 76 M. Keay (Tain), S. Holmes (Tain). 77 W. Taylor (Wick), R. MacDonald (Reay), S. Cowie (Thurso).
HANDICAP
Class 1 – A. Gunn (Tain) (7), M. Keay (Tain) (8) 68. W. Murray (Wick) (6), K. Lorimer (Brora) (9) 69. G. Gunn (Reay) (10) 71. Class 2 – D. Gray (Reay) (11) 66. S. Ross (Thurso) (20) 69. A. Williamson (Thurso) (18) 70.
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Monday, February 26, 2007
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