DUNCAN STEWART FROM FROM FLORIDA TO RETAIN NORTH DISTRICT TITLE AT TAIN

By ROBIN WILSON

Grantown on Spey's Duncan Stewart arrived home after four years as a student at Jacksonville College, Florida to celebrate his 23rd birthday last Thursday.
His last round of golf in America before setting out to defend the North District championship at Tain on Saturday was in a temperature of 28 degrees in Florida so it was no surprise that in a temperature of 20 degrees less his first round at Tain was a four over par 74 and three shots behind early pacemaker, Kevin Matheson (Royal Donoch).
Five years have passed since +3 handicapper Stewart last played at Tain but after re- familiarising himself with both the course and weather temperature he raised the heat of his own game to shoot a second round of four-under 66, one outside the course record, and retain the North District title by four shots from joint runners up Laurie Chancellor (Inverness) and George Paterson (Moray).
Stewart had to step back from his first putt of the second round when a field mouse ran across the first green. Three holes later he had his first of three outward half birdies for a first nine score of 32.
Duncan had to wait until the 15th to add to his birdie collection but immediately discarded it with his only misjudgment of the round, an underclubbling at the short 16th to take a bogey 4. His fifth and final birdie came from 12 feet on the final green for a an outstanding score when on the day the CSS rose by three in the first round and one in the second.
Inverness schoolteacher Chancellor and Moray greenkeeper Paterson had first and second identical rounds of 72 while Northern Open amateur winner James Gunn (Royal Dornoch) had a disappointing first round 77 but bounced back for fourth place with a level par 70, dropping three shots over the 15th and 16th holes in halves of 34 and 36.
The retaining champion's playing partner partner, left-hander Darren Hexley (Inverness), won the incorporated North District Youths' championship for a second time with rounds of 77 and 72 for 149.

+Picture above by courtesy of Robin Wilson shows Duncan Stewart (left) and Darren Hexley with their trophies.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
CSS 74 72
Championship Cup
140 D Stewart (Grantown on Spey) 74 66.
144 L Chancellor (Inverness) 72 72, G Paterson (Moray) 72 72.
145 J Gunn (Royal Dornoch) 75 70.
147 K. Matheson (Royal Dornoch) 71 76.
148 R A L Cameron (Inverness) 76 72.
149 D Hexley (Inverness) 77 72, D McIntosh (Nairn) 76 73, S Dingwall (Muir of Ord) 75 74, J S D Campbell (Grantown on Spey) 75 74.
150 D Thorburn (Thurso) 77 73, M Ferries (Tain) 75 75.

Youths Championship (Murray Watt Trophy)
149 D Hexley (Inverness) 77 72.
152 J Forbes (Inverness) 72 80.
154 K Godsman (Hopeman) 76 78.
155 M Murray (Brora) 78 77, M Isacs (Nairn Dunbar) 74 81.

HANDICAP
G Paterson (Moray) (1) 142, R A L Cameron (Inverness) (2) 144, D Hexley (Inverness) (2) 145.