Graeme McInnes (left) and leading amateur Malcolm McPhee at Monifieth today. Cal Carson Image (c). Double-click on the picture to enlarge it.

McINNES LEADS ALL THE WAY TO TAKE SCOTTISH
ALLIANCE TITLE AND £1,000 PRIZE

Murcar Links’ tour professional Graeme McInnes led throughout the 54-hole tournament to win the Scottish Golfers’ Alliance championship over Monifieth and Arbroath links by two shots with a three-under-par total of 209.
McInnes shared the first-day lead with Alastair Webster (Edzell) on 67 but he went a shot clear of Craig Mathieson (Falkirk Tryst) in the second round and clinched the title with a closing effort of 72 at Monifieth.
Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park) came through to take the runner-up spot away from Mathieson with a 70 - the best last round by anyone - for for 211.
Mathieson had a 74 for 212.

"There was not much between Craig and me until the start of the inward half," said Graeme later. "Then I birdied the 10th and Craig bogeyed the 11th and that was an important two-shot swing in my favour."
McInnes – “I scrambled well over the three days” - had birdies at the first, 10th and 18th in his final round to win The Scotsman Trophy and the £1,000 first prize.

McInnes, Mathieson and Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), the last three off the tee in the final round, finished well over 30min behind everyone else. The explanation: they could not get a ball down from a tree at the eighth.

"It was comical but serious at the same time," said McInnes. "There was no rough around and we could not understand where Alan's ball could be. We hunted high (well not so high to begin with) and low without any luck. Then one of us spotted the ball up a tree.

"That wasn't the end of the incident by any means. We couldn't climb the tree and it was too far up on a branch for us to reach it. We tried with a rake from a bunker and then the flag from the eighth green.

"All of this took a good half-hour. Some guys out for a bounce game actually played through us before we got the ball down and carried on."

Laugh? I nearly cried!

McInnes revealed that his competitive golf for the year is just about over.

"I work for a demolition firm during the winter, so swinging a heavy hammer keeps me fit, and I need the money to finance the golf," said Graeme. "European Tour School in 2009? No, I don't think so. I've got that out of my system and it costs an awful lot of money from start to finish."

Duncan Stewart from Grantown on Spey, recently turned pro and bound for Spain and Stage 2 of the European Tour Q School process, was certainly not laughing after finishing with a 79 for 220.

Duncan, winner of the East of Scotland Open at Lundin Links earlier in the summer, was expected to make a charge on the final day from his joint fourth position, only four behind McInnes, at the start of the day.

But it all went pear-shaped for Stewart from the sixth onwards. He had a double bogey 6 at the sixth, then bogeys at the eighth and ninth to turn in four-over-par 40. A birdie 2 at the 11th might have stopped the rot but it didn't. Duncan bogeyed the 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th and 18 for four-over-par 39 home.
The leading amateur award – the Clydesdale Bank Trophy – was won by a six-shot margin by four times Bishopbriggs club champion (last three in a row) Malcom McPhee, 48, with scores of 72 70 72 for two-under-par 214. Malcolm plays off one.
Former winner and past Scotland cap Bryan Fotheringham, who plays off +3 at Forres, was runner-up with 73, 72 and 75 for 220. The slow pace of play made it a final round Bryan did not enjoy.
Young Alistair Graham (Crow Wood), a one-handicapper, was third leading amateur with 72, 73 and 76 for 221.
Malcolm McPhee also had the lowest net aggregate of 211 – four ahead of Graham with former Walker Cup player Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) (2) and D Sharp (Boat of Garten) (5) joint third on net 218.
Sandy Pirie won the Caldwell Cup as the leading senior (over-55 years) with the lowest gross score of 149 over the first two rounds. Sandy does not think he will be able to play in the Alliance championship next year because the dates clash with the regular get-together of past Walker Cup players at a London venue in October 2008.
The team championship for the Mountbatten Cup was won by Midlands (1324) from West (1329) and North-east (1330) with East (1343) fourth and North (1396) last of five.
Midlands’ winning line-up was Alastair Webster, Steven Duncan, Craig Mathieson, Stuart Wilson, Richard Robertson and Martin Brown.

+Next year’s championship will be hosted by Moray Golf Club at Lossiemouth on October 7, 8 and 9.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 212 (70 71 71)

CSS: Tuesday - Monifieth 74, Arbroath 73. Wednesday - Monifieth 72, Arbroath 70.
CSS for final round at Monifieth 74
209 G McInnes (Murcar Links) 67 70 72.
211 S Duncan (Balbirnie Park) 73 68 70.
212 C Mathieson (Falkirk Tryst) 71 67 74.
214 M McPhee (Bishopbriggs) 72 70 72.
215 S Davidson (Banchory) 71 70 74.
216 A J Webster (Edzell) 67 75 74, A Lockhart (Ladybank) 72 68 76.
217 L Vannet (Carnoustie Golf Links) 70 72 75.
218 L Mann (Carnoustie Links) 75 72 71, B Mason (Drumoig) 75 72 71, P Jamieson (Dunblane) 75 70 73, S Lamb (Broomieknowe) 73 69 76.
219 S Savage (Dalmuir) 70 76 73.
220 B Fotheringham (Forres) 73 72 75, D Stewart (Grantown on Spey) 70 71 79.
221 A Graham (Crow Wood) 72 73 76.
223 S Wilson (Forfar) 74 74 75, C Everettt (Caldwell) 74 73 76, N Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) 72 74 77.
224 A K Pirie (Hazlehead) 77 72 75, C Stephen (Meldrum House) 73 70 81.
225 H Wong (Burntisland) 75 76 74, G Wither (Lothianburn) 78 72 75, P Lamb (Biggar) 74 75 76.
226 R Johnston (Glenbervie) 74 68 84.
227 A Fullen (Irvine Bogside) 76 75 76.
228 D Williamson (Kirkhill) 79 75 74, W S Urquhart (Murcar Links) 75 77 76.
229 A Rothney (Deer Park) 74 74 81.
230 I McLeod (Monifieth) 80 71 79, R McKay (Inverness) 77 73 80, D Garrett (Huntly) 72 77 81.
232 S Finnie (Caledonian) 75 74 83.
233 D Sharp (Boat of Garten) 79 76 78, R Robertson (Brechin) 79 75 79.
234 I Taylor (Royal Burgess) 80 80 74.
236 D Read (Banchory) 77 81 78.
239 F Bisset (Banchory) 78 82 79, M Brown (Monifieth) 80 75 74, F Gray (Deeside) 80 73 86.
240 J Roy (Panmure) 82 76 82.
241 J Mooney (Turriff) 82 77 82.
242 I D Smith (Hazlehead) 86 79 77.
243 H Roulston (Stonehaven) 81 79 84, R Stewart (Tulliallan) 81 78 84.
244 J Kinloch (Cardross) 86 79 79, R M Grant (Caledonian) 83 79 82, W Crosbie (Blairgowrie) 81 80 83, H Roulston (Stonehaven) 81 79 84.
245 D Stevenson (Forres) 77 84 84.
246 R Brownhill (Stonehaven) 82 80 84.
247 D Holloway (Golf Fife) 79 86 82.
248 J Ingram (Boat of Garten) 84 80 84, I Wilson (Craigiehill) 83 77 88.
249 P Kinloch (Cardross) 87 79 83.
250 S Gilhooley (Duddingston) 84 82 84, A T Mason (Thornton) 82 82 86.
251 I Fraser (Duddingston) 85 81 85.
254 D Bisset (Banchory) 85 80 89, G Mitchell (Blairgowrie) 84 78 92.

NRs A Smith (Edzell) 85 80 NR, R Nicoll (Murcar Links) 86 77 NR, R Ford (Scotscraig) 83 78 NR, G McLeod (Monifieth) 79 79 NR, C Donnelly (Balbirnie Park) 80 77 NR, S Clelland (Gary Mitchell Golf) 84 72 NR, D Fish (Glenbervie) 79 74 NR, J Fowler (Hayston) 77 73 NR.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
1324 Midlands.
1329 West.
1330 North-east.
1343 East.
1396 North.

BEST AMATEUR GROSS

214 M McPhee (Bishopbriggs) 72 70 72.

220 B Fotheringham (Forres) 73 72 75.

221 A Graham (Crow Wood) 72 73 76.

223 S Wilson (Forfar) 74 74 75.

224 C Stephen (Meldrum House) 73 70 81, A K Pirie (Hazlehead) 77 72 75.

225 P Lamb (Biggar) 74 74 76, G Wither Lothianburn) 78 72 75.

226 R Johnston (Glenbervie) 74 68 84.

228 W S Urqhart (Murcar Links) 75 77 76.

229 A Rothney (Deer Park) 74 74 81, M Brown (Monifieth) (scr) 80 75 74.

230 D Garrett (Huntly) 72 77 81, R McKay (Inverness) 77 73 80.

232 S Finnie (Caledonian) 75 74 83.

233 R Robertson (Brechin) 79 75 79, D Sharp (Boat of Garten) 79 76 78.

234 I Taylor (Royal Burgess) 80 80 74.

236 D Read (Banchory) 77 81 78.

239 F Gray (Deeside)( 80 73 86, F Bisset (Banchory) 78 82 78.

240 J Roy (Pamure) 82 76 82.

243 R Stewart (Tulliallan) 81 78 84.

244 H Roulston (Stonehaven) 81 79 84, W Crosbie (Blairgowrie) 81 80 83, R M Grant Caledonian) 83 79 82, J Kinloch (Cardross) 86 79 79.

BEST NET SCORES

211 M McPhee (Bishopbrfiggs) (1).

215 A Graham (Crow Wood) (2).

218 A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2), D Sharp (Boat of Garten) (5).

221 R Robertson (Brechin) (4).

222 G Wither (Lothianburn) (1), P Lamb (Bigger) (1).

224 D Read (Banchory) (4), R McKay (Inverness) (2), F Gray (Deeside) (5).

225 W S Urquhart (Murcar) (1), J Roy (Panmure) (5).

227 R Johnston (Glenbervie) (scr), A Rothney (Deer Park) (1), W Crosbie (Blairgowrie) (6).227 D Garrett (Huntly) (1) 230.

229 M Brown (Monifieth) (scr), R Grant Caledonian) (5), S Finnie (Caledonian) (1), H Roulston (Stonehaven) (5), A T Mason (Thornton) (7), S Wilson (Forfar) (+2), B Fotheringham (Forres) (+3).

230 C Stephen (Meldrum House) (+2), D Stevenson (Forres) (5), D Bisset (Banchroy) (8).