Teenager Robb (69) wins N E

Alliance at Newmachar by

four strokes on a day of 40,

yes 40 No Returns!

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Scottish schoolboys champion Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) has taken a year out from studies to improve his golf before going to a United States college next autumn.

The Banchory teenager, picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency, showed he is making significant progress in that direction by beating a field of 105, including club professionals, to win today's North-east Alliance competition over Newmachar Golf Club’s testing Hawkshill course.
Robb, who has +2 of a handicap, was the only player to break the par of 72 and he won by four strokes with an excellent round of three-under-par 69.
An eagle 3 at the 493yd eighth, accomplished with a long, straight drive, a nine-iron approach and a 20ft putt, highlighted Robb’s halves of 33 (three under par) and 36 (level).
He birdied the short sixth, 11th, 14th and 16th. On the downside, he double bogeyed the 12th after driving into the trees and three-putting, and bogeyed the 15th.
Joint runners-up on 73 were professionals Colin Nelson (Mackenzie Club) and Ian Bratton (Newburgh).
Chris Robb may have found the course relatively easy but, on a windy day, Hawkshill’s 6,716yd lay-out claimed many “casualties.” Only 12 players broke 80 and there were 40 No Returns (Scroll down for "Today's Talking Point").
LEADING SCRATCH SCORES
Hawkshill Course
Par 72, 6716yd.
69 C Robb (Inchmarlo).
73 C Nelson (Mackenzie Club), I Bratton (Newburgh).
74 A Campbell (Deeside), I Buchan (Craibstone).
75 R Cameron (McDonald Ellon)
77 G Lornie (Kings Links), S Finnie (Caledonian), G Bruce (Westhill).
79 J Duncan (Newburgh), B Ritchie (Inverallochy), R Stewart (Cruden Bay).
80 C Buchanan (Hazlehead), D Wilson (Duff House Royal).
81 A J Smith (Turriff), D Clark (Duff House Royal), M Jenkins (Duff House Royal).
82 J Nicolson (Auchmill), S Pert (Huntly).
83 P Morrison (Oldmeldrum), L Prouse (Hazlehead), N Chisholm (Kemmay), Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon), N Parker (Murcar Links).
84 D Naylor (Banchory).
85 N Hardie (Kintore), K Minty (Turriff), H Roulston (Stonehaven), S Murray (Northern).
87 B Bavidge (Murcar Links), A Nelson (Banchory), C Hood (Alford).
88 L Taylor (Auchmill), F G Gray (Newmachar), D Nelson (Aboyne), J Roberts (Cruden Bay).
89 B Harper (Newburgh) C Carnegie (Kemnay), J M Hamilton (Murcar Links).
90 P Anderson (Deeside), S Lawrie (Portlethen).
91 J Borthwick (Craibstone), M Booth (Kemnay).
92 S Kennedy (Craibstone), C Cassie (Nigg Bay), J Robb (Craibstone).

LEADING HANDICAP SCORES
Class 1 – C Robb (Inchmarlo) (+2) 71; C Buchanan (Hazlehead) (8) 72; A Campbell (Deeside) (scr), J Duncan (Newburgh) (5) 74; D Wilson (Duff House Royal) (4) 76; N Hardie (Kintore) (8), P Morrison (Oldmeldrum) (6), A J Smith (Turriff) (4), S Finnie (Caledonian) (scr), B Ritchie (Inverallochy) (2), P Morrison (Oldmeldrum) (8) 77.
Class 2 – N Chisholm (Kemnay) (11) 72; N Parker (Murcar Links) (9) 74; K Minty (Turriff) (9) 76; B Bavidge (Murcar Links) (10) 77; M Booth (Kemnay) (12) 79; S Kennedy (Craibstone) (12), J Robb (Craibstone) (12) 80; P Anderson (Deeside) (12), D Wood (Newbnurgh) (12), J Short (Peterculter) (12) 81.

NEWMACHAR HAWKSHILL PAR
OUT: 4-5-4-4-4-3-4-5-3--36. IN: 4-4-4-4-4-3-5-4-4--36

CHRIS ROBB 69

OUT: 4-5-4-4-4-2-4-3-3--33. IN: 4-3-6-4-3-4-4-4-4--36

COLIN NELSON 73

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

IAN BRATTON 73

OUT: 4-6-4-3-5-3-4-5-4--38. IN: 4-4-4-4-4-3-5-3-4--35

+Remember a two-tee start will be operation for next Wednesday's Alliance at Portlethen ... and with a week's less daylight available, it will be essential that ALL players maintain a good, even brisk pace of play.

+Talking point from today: Is Newmachar Hawkshill too difficult a course for the average NE Alliance player? Is that why some players took well over four hours to get round ... and why there were 40 No Returns?

+Would the pace of play be faster and the scores lower if the Swailend course was used the next time the NE Alliance visits Newmachar? Or, stay on the Hawkshill course, but play off the "boxes?"

E-mail your thoughts to Colin Farquharson at Colin@Scottishgolfview.com