Locals star in North-east District Open

BYRNE'S BACK! BANCHORY BOY

SMASHES RECORD ON WAY

TO RUNAWAY VICTORY

FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON
Banchory’s James Byrne smashed the Newburgh-on-Ythan course record with a brilliant round of 11-under-par 61 on his way to a runaway, eight-stroke victory in the North-east District Open, the Scottish Golf Union’s 72-hole Order of Merit tournament, at the weekend.
Byrne’s four scores were 72, 61, 75 and 69 for an impressive 11-under-par total of 277.
Very windy conditions for the final two rounds ruled out any possibility of Byrne touching the heights again but he did break par again with a 69 in his final round.
Byrne, a 19-year-old student at Arizona State University, has had a lean time, tournament-wise since he won the Scottish boys’ open stroke-play title at Cardrona last season. His loss of form cost him his place in the Scotland team for the European men’s championship and also for the forthcoming men’s home internationals. He was considered good enough a year ago to be chosen for both events.
But the North-east District Open gave Byrne the opportunity to show that he is by no means a back number in conditions that were far from easy. The CSS, against a par of 72, was 74, 73, 73 and 72.
Runner-up on three-under-par 285 was another performer from the US college circuit, Lewis Kirton (Newmachar), who is a golf scholarship student at the University of Louisville-Kentucky.
Kirton, 20, too lost form over the second half of the American college season, but there was a medical reason for it. He was suffering from glandular fever.

It is only now that he has come back to his full strength and it has showed in his recent tournament results.
Kirton had four consistent rounds of 71, 70, 72 and 72.
To complete a good weekend for the standing of North-east District golf, Paul Lawrie’s protégé Philip McLean (Peterhead) and Barrie Edmond (Bon Accord) finished third and fourth ahead of former Scottish boys’ open stroke-play champion Mark Lamb (Haddington) and Scotland international selection Gordon Yates (Hilton Park).
Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) who has had several top-10 finishes in SGU Order of Merit events this season, tied with Yates for sixth place.


FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4 x 72)
277 J Byrne (Banchory) 72 61 75 69.
285 L Kirton (Newmachar) 71 70 72 72.
286 P McLean (Peterhead) 73 70 72 71.
287 B Edmond (Bon Accord) 74 74 71 68.
288 M Lamb (Haddington) 76 70 71 71.
289 G Yates (Hilton Park) 74 75 70 70, K Nicol (Fraserburgh) 69 71 75 74.
290 M Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) 73 71 77 69, B Fotheringham (Forres) 72 72 75 71.
291 S Buchan (Royal Aberdeen) 76 67 74 74.
292 G Paterson (St Andrews New) 77 70 76 69, S Larkin (Banchory) 69 73 80 70, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 71 77 72 72.
293 G Carnie (Newburgh-on-Ythan) 76 72 71 74, B Innes (Murcar Links) 74 69 76 74.
295 G Taylor (Meldrum House) 73 75 74 73, E McIntosh (Newmachar) 71 74 76 74.
297 S Borrowman (Dollar) 75 75 75 72, C McKen (Murcar Links) 76 73 74 74.
298 I Galbraith (Murcar Links) 76 77 73 72, D Law (Hazlehead) 74 74 76 74.
299 C Robb (Inchmarlo) 69 83 72 75.
301 A Campbell (Deeside) 77 77 71 76, A Bews (Murcar Links) 72 73 74 82.
302 I Welsh (Nigg Bay) 72 76 82 72, P Betty (Hayston) 73 71 78 80.
303 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 75 79 73 76.
304 R Young (Nigg Bay) 69 76 80 79.
305 D Miller (Oldmeldrum) 77 74 81 73, M Russo (Drumpellier) 73 76 79 77.
307 A Hepburn (Fraserburgh) 79 74 77 77.
309 D Yeats (Nigg Bay) 77 71 85 76, N McKinnon (Murcar Links) 75 73 82 79.
312 A Cappi (Loretto School) 75 75 88 74.
316 J Duff (Newmachar) 77 77 84 78.
318 G Sharp (Murcar Links) 79 75 84 80.