THURSO'S RON MATHESON MAKES THE
BEST OF IT AT INVERGORDON

By ROBIN WILSON
The wet and miserable run of weather leading up to the North Golf Alliance fixture at Invergordon kept the numbers low and with so much surface water still lying about the course the local committee were forced to introduce the unusual local rule of preferred lies "through the green."
Nice to get a topsy in the rough! but little help to the low handicappers who still struggled on the wet greens, resulting in poor scratch returns.
Thurso three-handicapper Ron Matheson, quite often akin to similar winter course conditions at home, made it through to the winning post with a gross 72, three over par and two ahead of the field.
On the drier inward holes Matheson found birdies at the 15th and 18th holes for a one under par inward card of 33 following a four-over outward half of 39. His 72 won from local Craig Harris (37-37) and low handicap section winner Seann Sutherland (Bonar-Bridge) 36-38.
Sutherland was the only player with a spring in his step when he completed his round on discovering that his winning net 66, off eight, lifted him into the lead for the MacKintosh Salver.
With two fixtures to play, at Brora on March 16 and Wick on March 23. Sutherland is now two strokes ahead of long time leader and holder, Mike Keay (Tarbat).
Scratch trophy contender Munro Ferries had a good one over par opening nine holes but let his score slip back to 75 with an inward 40 and he and Wick's Ron Taylor (who did not play) have two fixtures remaining to grapple for the sctatch trophy.

INVERGORDON RESULTS

SCRATCH
72 R Matheson (Thurso).
74 C Harris (Invergordon), S Sutherland (Bonar Bridge).
75 J Meiklejohn (Thurso), M Ferries (Tain).
HANDICAP
Class 1 – S Sutherland (Bonar Bridge) (8) 66; J Meiklejohn (Thurso) (6) 69; H Skinner (Tarbat) (8), J Gordon (Tarbat) (8) 70; A Watt (Tain) (8) 72.
Class 2 – A McCowan (Durness) (12) 67; J Morrison (Durness) (17) 74; A Melville (Tain) (12) 75.