IAN HUTCHEON WINS SCOTTISH

SENIORS' TITLE FOR THIRD

TIME BY THREE STROKES

When Ben Hogan won the 1953 Open at Carnoustie, he improved his score with every round. Ian Hutcheon did a “Ben Hogan” in reverse in winning the Scottish senior men’s open amateur stroke-play championship for a third time since 2003 at Drumpellier Golf Club today.
The Monifieth man, pictured right, one of the best Scottish amateurs of the second half of the 20th Century, had scores of 70, 73 and 76 over the par-71 lay-out for a six-over-par total 219 to win the over-55s’ title by three strokes from David Lane, the Berkshire player who won the same championship as far back as 2001 and 2002.
“Hutch” got one hand on the trophy with his first-round 70 which gave him a three-shot lead over the field. He increased that to five in the second round and then took his foot off the pedal in the final round.
Ian bogeyed the first, fourth, sixth, 11th, 14th and 16th before he had his first and only birdie at the day at the 17th.
A look at Hutcheon’s birdie count tells the story of the championship. He had five birdies in his first round, three in his second and only one in his third.
David Lane did follow the Ben Hogan style with 77, 74 and 72 for 222.
Joint third on 225 were two Scots, Jim Watt (Letham Grange) and George Paterson from Northern, one of three clubs based at Aberdeen’s municipal links. Watt birdied the 14th and 17th in his final round. For Paterson it was that proverbial “game of two halves.” George had a nightmare 43 (seven over par) to the turn and then pulled himself together to reel off eight pars and a birdie at the 17th in reducing the inward half to one-under-par 34.
The best round of the final day was a level par 71 from Royal Aberdeen’s John Johnston, who made his senior debut in helping Scotland win the over-55s’ home internationals title at Dunbar last autumn.
John had scores of 81, 76 and 71 for 228. After bogeys at the first, fifth and seventh, Johnston birdied the ninth to be out in two-over 32. Then a second birdie, at the 13th, put him only one over par. Then a bogey at the long 15th dropped back to two over par before he had the grandstand finish of the tournament, holing his second for an eagle 2 at the long 18th for 33 home and a par-matching 71.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3 x 71) CSS 74 74 74 (reduction only each round)

219 I C Hutcheon (Monifieth) 70 73 76.
223 D Lane (Goring & Streatley) 77 74 72.
225 J Watt (Letham Grange) 75 76 74, G Paterson (Northern) 73 75 77.
227 C Christy (Kilmacolm) 74 77 76, J Baldwin (Sunningdale) 74 78 75, R Smethurst (Crewe) 75 77 75, P Slater (Sandiway) 76 75 76.
228 J W Johnston (Royal Aberdeen) 81 76 71, J Kinloch (Cardross) 78 76 74.
229 I Taylor (Royal Burgess) 75 79 75, D McCart (Castlerock) 79 76 74, C W Green (Cardross) 80 74 75, G Rodaks (Moffat) 78 75 76.
230 B Humble (Kilspindie) 80 78 72, D Longmuir (Verulam) 79 75 76.
231 W Wallace (Strathaven) 80 77 74, S Ellis (Cowal) 77 79 75, G Thomson (Bearsden)78 76 77, I Stewart (Curragh) 81 72 78, R McLellan (Turnberry) 77 74 80.
232 I Broadfoot (Turnberry) 81 74 77, P Jones (Brombrough) 79 77 76, S Pond (Worksop) 80 74 78, M Temple (US) 79 74 79.
233 A Cameron (Gourock) 76 81 76.
234 I Cumming (Eastwood) 76 79 79, A Ferguson (Drumpellier) 77 81 76, H Moxon (Royal Cinque Ports) 78 79 77, I Mason (Royal Cinque Ports) 78 78 78, N Marsden (Moor Park) 76 80 78, G Steel (Moor Park) 75 77 82..
235 W Brady (Drumpellier) 79 76 80, W F Morton (Dunbar) 74 81 80, David Millar (St Andrews New) 76 82 77, D McLaughlan (Crow Wood) 79 77 79.
237 N Cameron (Porters Park) 79 76 82, J S Macdonald (Dunfermline) 78 80 79, R Stewart (Tulliallan) 83 73 81, R Young (Chestfield) 79 75 83.
238 R Gill (Gerrards Cross) 83 75 80, A Fiddes (Murcar Links) 79 79 80, L Gordon (Turnhouse) 81 77 80.
239 R Walker (Crewe) 77 81 81, J Paton (Kirkintilloch) 79 77 83, S Baker (Little Aston) 81 77 81.

240 G McGee (Erskine) 82 75 83.
241 A Waddington (Crewe) 74 83 84.