North-east Alliance victory by Hazlehead youngster

DAVID (16) LAYS DOWN
THE LAW TO WIN AT
BUCKPOOL BY SIX
STROKES WITH A 67

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Aberdeen Hazlehead teenager David Law, pictured right, spreadeagled a field of 80 with an impressive round of three-under-par 67 to win today's North-east Golfers’ Alliance competition at sunny Buckpool by the runaway margin of six strokes.
Playing in only his second Alliance competition, 16-year-old Law, who has a +1 handicap and who helped Scotland win a junior international team trophy in Belgium last summer, took seven holes to get up a full head of steam.
Bogeys at the fifth and sixth meant he was two over par on the seventh tee. Then Law showed the ability that could make him a leading contender for the Scottish boys' championship in early April. He covered the remaining 12 holes in five under par figures.
Driving the ball long and straight and “putting well,” he birdied the seventh and covered the inward half in 31 – four under the card – with birdies at the 11th, 12th, 16th and 18th.
His closest rivals were John Nicolson (Auchmill) (40-33) and Fergus Bisset (Banchory) (37-36) on the 73 mark.
Nicolson struggled to the turn in five-over-par 40 and dropped another shot at the 10th but, a bit like young David Law, John came home with a wet sail at this Moray Fifth coast links with no more bogeys and birdies at the 12th, 13th and 18th.
Golf writer Bisset birdied the ninth to be out in two-over-par 37. A bogey at the 13th, followed by a double bogey 6 at the "Paul Lawrie Hole" - the 14th - put Fergus out of contention to break 70 but he finished with a smile on his face after birdies at the 16th and 17th.
In NE Alliance folklore, Buckpool is remembered as the course where Paul Lawrie had a 10 at the 14th in 1999 - the same year he went on to win the Open at Carnoustie.
Memories of that came flooding back when Colin Nelson (Mackenzie Club) had severe bunker trouble in running up a 9 at the 12th. Colin took 39 shots for the inward half on his way to a five-over-par 75.
Next Wednesday's meeting is at Inverallochy.
Leading scores (par 70)
SCRATCH
67 D Law (Hazlehead).
73 J Nicolson (Auchmill), F Bisset (Banchory).
75 C Nelson (Mackenzie Club), R Cameron (McDonald Ellon), P McLean (Peterhead), D Reid (Banchory), G Pateerson (Northern).
76 P Lovie (Inchmarlo), C Stephen (Meldrum House), M Jenkins (Duff House Royal).
77 P Cornfield (Auchmill), S Finnie (Caledonian), A Styles (Caledonian), J Hamilton (Murcar Links), A Graham (Portlethen), D Corkey (Murcar Links).
78 T Collie (Kemnay), S Davidson (Banchory), D Leighton (Murcar Links).
HANDICAP
Class 1 – D Law (Hazlehead) (+1) 68; J Nicolson (Auchmill) (3) 70; J Hamilton (Murcar Links) (6), D Reid (Banchory) (4) 71; A Graham (Portlethen) (5), F Bisset (Banchory) (1), D Leighton (Murcar Links) (6) 72.
Class 2 – P Cornfield (Auchmill) (11) 66; T Collie (Kemnay) (10) 68; D Wood (Newburgh) (14) 70; C Cassie (Nigg Bay) (9), D Randall (Banchory) (15) 73; J Forrest (Northern) (9), I Strachan (Royal Aberdeen) (12) 74.





BUCKPOOL SCORECARD: Par 70


OUT: 4-4-5-4-4-3-4-3-4--35. IN: 4-4-4-3-4-3-5-4-4--35





DAVID LAW 67


OUT: 4-4-5-4-5-4-3-3-4--36. IN: 4-3-3-3-4-3-4-4-4--31





JOHN NICOLSON 73


OUT: 4-5-5-5-5-4-5-3-4--40. IN; 5-4-3-2-4-3-5-4-3--33.





FERGUS BISSET 73


OUT: 5-4-5-4-4-3-5-4-3-37. IN: 4-4-4-4-6-3-4-3-4--36