ROYAL DORNOCH'S JIMMY GUNN WINS SUTHERLAND
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THIRD YEAR


By ROBIN WILSON

It has been quite some week for Royal Dornoch's top player, Jimmy Gunn. Last Tuesday, two days after new Scottish open stroke-play champion Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) set a new course record of 64 for the Dornoch course, 26-year-old Gunn, the reigning club champion for the past three years, matched this score in the opening round of his defence of the club title.
Another 64 and course record-equalling score came from the +3 handicapper at Golspie on Saturday enabling Gunn to forge ahead and win the Sutherland county championship cup for a third year.
Gunn addded a three-under-par 66 to his first round for 130, a record low winning total for the 85-year-old Sutherland county competition. Winning the runner-up bronze medal was the Brora club champion, Roddy Cameron six shots behind with 67 and 69.
Gunn's clubmate Neil Munro aced the 135yd 10th hole with a pitching wedge during the second round.
At Wick the Caithness title, after a gap of eight years, was won for a third time by Reay's Don Mackay. The three main contenders for the title were in the same group, holder Doug Thorburn (Thurso) and past champion Ron Taylor from the home club.
After his first-round lead with a 68, Mackay won with a second round 70 from Taylor (71-72) and Thorburn (70-75).
The Nairn county championship might better have been called the Nairn Dunbar county championship for it was only players from the host club who took part and none from the only other club in the county on the other side of the town.
Home course expert Neil Pears, who won the North District championship at Nairn Dunbar in 2001 and whose two previous county wins arrived on home turf, won for a third time with a level par total of 144 after individual rounds of 71 and 73 with club mate Malcolm Isaacs collecting the bronze medal, a shot behind.
Another former North District champion, Michael MacDonald, the hosting club's secretary, won the Ross-shire championship for a first time at Fortrose & Rosemarkie. For his first win with rounds of 68 and 67 MacDonald had to hold of a strong second-round challenge from junior member Chris Gaittens who came in with a second round 66 for the bronze medal.
Results:
GOLSPIE (CSS 68 68) - Scratch - 130 J M Gunn (Royal Dornoch) 64 66. 136 R S Cameron (Brora) 67 69. 138 M Murray (Brora) 70 68. 141 I Rennie (Royal Dornoch) 73 68. 143 A MacDonald (Royal Dornoch) 74 69, A MacDougall (Golspie) 72 71. 144 D W R Chalmers (Royal Dornoch 70 74. Handicap - D Greenberg (Royal Dornoch) (8) 129; A J Wilson (Brora) (8) 132; A. MacDougall (Golspie) (5), R. Sutherland (Brora) (10) 134.
WICK - Scratch - 138 D Mackay (Reay) 68 70. 143 R Taylor (Wick) 71 72. 145 D Thorburn (Thurso) 70 75. Handicap - J Taylor (Wick) (12) 137.
( CSS 74 and 74)- 144 N. Pears (Nairn Dunbar) 71 73. 145 M Isaacs (ND) 73, 72.148 L McDonald (ND) 76 72.151 G. Nicoll (ND) 78 73.152 N. Howitt (ND) 76 76, P Gardner (ND) 75 77. Handicap Lee McDonald (ND) (5) 138.P Gardner (ND) (4) 144. I Henderson (ND) (16) 145.

Fortrose & Rosemarkie. Scratch - 135 M. MacDonald (F&R) 68,67. C. Gaittens (F&R) 70,66.