NORTHERN OPEN DAY ONE REPORT, SCORES

 Only 20 players out fo a total Northern Open field of 142 bettered the par of 72 in the first real professional test for Dave Thomas's Spey Valley picture postcard creation in the Caledonian pine forest and Cairngorm mountains at Aviemore yesterday.

It may look awfully bonnie on the banks of the fast-flowing River Spey but the reality, as the Tartan Tour pros who had never played the course before discovered, is that if you stray off the fairways into the heather, you will (a) be lucky to find your ball or (b) be lucky to be able to hack it back on to the short stuff at the first attempt.

When Thomas designed the course for Macdonald Hotels he had in mind that some day this 7,000yd + course would some day stage a European Tour event. The message from the Northern Open first day is: This course is ready now for the big boys.

Former Northern Open winner and winner of the WaterAid 36-holer last week, Chris Doak is the man they all have to beat. He is a proven front-runner and he is in the pole position on four-under 68 with three rounds to go.

"The heather makes it a risk-and-reward driving course," said Doak. "If you go for a big hit and miss the fairway, you are flirting with disaster so I was delighted to come off with a 68. You have to know when to be cautious and take say a three-wood off the tee, not only to stay out of the heather but also stay out of the bunkers in the landing areas."

European Tour winner Dean Robertson (Mearns Castle) and a not so well known name, Euan Davie (Dunblane New), start the second day as Doak's closest rivals on 69.

Horror stories abounded with Kenny Glen (Royal Musselburgh) taking a 15 at the par-4 409yd seventh. He lost a ball and then took four hacks in the heather to get on to the fairway.

Scott Henderson (Kings Links), winner of the Northern Open at Cruden Bay a few years back, was one of many who lost balls. It will be the ones who do not lose heart who will prosper over this, arguably the toughest course the Tartan Tour pros will play all season.

Defending champion Murray Urquhart (Inverness) bedded down for the night, content with a 71 but not so happy about the speed of play which was always going to be slow with so many players hunting in the heather for errant shots.

"I was playing in a two-ball and it still took five and a half hours," said Murray who can count himself lucky. By the end of the day, it was taking six hours for a round.

And they were still playing coming up to 8pm in the evening.

Greig Hutcheon (Peterculter) did his chances of scoring a first Northern Open victory no harm with a steady 72 for starters. He finished at 7.45pm.

There are amateurs in the field too, of course, chasing the Bookless Cup. Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) and former North-east ace Terry Mathieson, now moved to Edinburgh and not only playing out of but working at the King's Acre Golf Centre, are leading that particular chase on 72.

 

LEADING SCORES AT SPEY VALLEY

 

FIRST ROUND

Par 72

68 C Doak (unatt).

69 D Robertson (Mearns Castle), E Davie (Dunblane New).

70 S Rettie (All Golf Swing Centre), J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle),  A J Webster (Edzell), S Duncan (Balbirnie Park), E Little (Co Tipperary), G Dingwall (Royal Dornoch), L Harper (Archerfield Links), C Campbell (Carnegie Club).

71 E Cameron (Hamilton), C Gillies (Kingsfield), C Elliott (Haggs Castle), S Henderson (Kings Links), G McBain (Royal Dornoch), S Cairns (Westerwood), A Oldcorn (King's Acre), M Urquhart (Inverness), M Barnard (Inchmarlo).

72 S Gray (Hayston), K Hutton (Downfield), M Hillson (Craigielaw) (am), T Mathieson (King's Acre) (am), S Morrison (Tain), K Campbell (Machrihanish), A MacKenzie (Duddingston), J McKinnon (Irvine), G Hutcheon (Peterculter), R Arnott (Bishopbriggs).

73 M Loftus (Cowglen), C Everett (Caldwell), S Syme (Dumfries & Co), A Lockhart (Ladybank), T Buchanan (Duddingston), D Orr (East Renfrewshire), P McKechnie (Braid Hills), G Cook (Prestonfield), G Lornie (Kings Links), C Nicoll (Prestwick), G Law (Uphall), C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst).