North-east Golfers' Alliance competition

STEPHEN'S RED HOT PUTTER KEEPS HIM
SINGING IN THE RAIN AT NEWBURGH

Meldrum House +2 amateur Craig Stephen scores his second North-east Alliance competition win in five weeks with a four-under-par round of 67 at Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club today.
Unrelenting rain kept the field down to 50, by far the lowest field of the season and there were 17 No Returns in the thoroughly unpleasant conditions.
Stephen's "red-hot putter" contributed to his own personal joy. He had only 11 putts in an outward half of four-under-par 32 with birdies at the third, fifth, eighth and ninth. Another birdie putt dropped at the 10th before he had his first bogey at the 11th. An eagle 2 at the 13th put him six under par but the wetness got to him before the end and he dropped shots at the 15th and 18th.
He won by three shots from Westhill club professional George Bruce.
COLLATED SCOREBOARD
Par 71
Leading scratch
67 C Stephen (Meldrum House).
70 G Bruce (Westhill).
73 P Lovie (Inchmarlo), D Wilson (Duff House Royal), J Mooney (Turriff).
75 C Carnegie (Kemnay).
76 D Garrett (Huntly), M Lees (Pine Lodge), A Graham (Portlethen).
77 F Bisset (Banchory), S Finnie (Caledonian).
78 A Campbell (Deeside), S Scott (Auchmill).
80 P Farnan (Royal Aberdeen).
81 S Pert (Huntly), L Taylor (Auchmill), B Shaw (Banchory).
Leading handicap
Class 1 - D Wilson (Duff House Royal) (5) 68; C Stephen (Meldrum House) (+2) 69; A Graham (Portlethen) (5) 71; C Carnegie (Kemnay) (3) 72; P Farnan (Royal Aberdeen) (6), S Scott (Auchmill) (4), B Shaw (Banchory) (6), D McKay (Caledonian) (8) 74.
Class 2 - Bob Lumsden (East Aberdeenshire) (18) 72; W Forbes (Murcar Links) (12), K Minty (Turriff) (9); G Kelly (Portlethen) (13), S Lawrie (Portlethen) (9) 75; Benny Lumsden (Northern) (13) 76.

NEWBURGH SCORECARD
OUT: 4-3-5-4-3-4-4-4-5--36. IN: 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-3-4--35

CRAIG STEPHEN 67
OUT: 4-3-4-4-2-4-4-3-4--32
IN: 3-5-4-2-4-5-4-3-5--35

GEORGE BRUCE 70
OUT: 5-3-4-4-3-4-3-3-5--34
IN: 5-4-4-4-4-3-4-3-5--36

PATRICK LOVIE 73
OUT: 5-3-4-4-2-4-4-5-5--36
IN: 4-5-4-4-4-5-4-3-4--37

DAVIE WILSON 73
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-3-4-4-8--38
IN: 4-6-4-3-4-4-4-3-3--35

JAMES MOONEY 73
OUT: 5-4-5-4-2-4-4-4-7--39.
IN: 5-4-3-3-4-4-4-3-4--34