John Hamilton (left) and David Law withe the trophy that links them

John and David - Two North-east District boys'

champions who span the last 45 years

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com

What do Murcar Links member John Hamilton and Hazlehead's David Law have in common, apart from both being regular competitors on the North-east Alliance circuit?
The answer is the North-east District boys' championship trophy, first played for in 1927.
John won it in 1963 when the tournament was played at Royal Aberdeen. David won it last year at Duff House Royal.

John has only a vague memory of a local newspaper photographer making a fleeting visit to the Balgownie clubhouse 45+ years ago and snapping his picture with the trophy. But he has never had a picture to place among his souvenirs - and reminder that for one day in 1963 he was the best boy golfer in the North-east of Scotland.

So John asked me the other day to be his "Mr Fix-it" and reunite him with the boys' championship trophy so that he could have his picture taken. It did not take much fixing. I knew where the trophy could be found, because I knew that David Law, the top prospect on the Aberdeen golf scene, won it last year.

So I was able to bring Messrs Hamilton and Law together today and take a picture of them for posterity ... 1963 champion meets 2008 champion.

So who were John Hamilton's contemporaries on the Aberdeen boys' golf scene 45 years ago?

"Well, Billy Hogg was the David Law of my day. Billy, a Royal Aberdeen member, won this trophy in 1960 and again in 1961 (both championships played at the Kings Links) and Philip Milne (Deeside) won it in 1962 at Hazlehead," said John.

"Way back in 1933 the late Jack Booth was North-east boys' champion at Stonehaven."

More recently the list of winners has included players such as Richie Ramsay (1999), Greig Hutcheon (1990) and Scott Henderson (1986).

David Law will be 18 in May. He has a handicap of +2 and is a full-time amateur golfer under the wing of Paul Lawrie.

Very soon David will be off to the Algarve for warm-weather training and practice with a Scottish Golf Union squad and he will go on to play in the Portuguese men's open amateur championship at Troia from February 19 to 22.

Obviously Master Law has ambitions to become a tour professional, following in the footsteps of Richie Ramsay but he is no immediate hurry to take the plunge.

"I've still got a lot to learn and gain experience of playing in the big amateur championships so 2011 or 2012 would be soon enough to think seriously about it," said David.