Left to right: Kerr Smith, Craig Smith, Fraser Fotheringham, David Joel, Laurie Chancellor and Alan Everett (image by courtesy of Robin Wilson).

Fraser Fotheringham shows his class

to win Tain Open by four strokes

By ROBIN WILSON
For the second weekend running a former North Under-18 champion has won a major 36-hole title at a Ross-shire club, on this occasion Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) triumphing in the Balblair Distillery/Abdul Ghani Open at Tain Golf Club.
Unfortunately both the sponsor's highly rated product and the course got over-watered for the competitors to enjoy them at their best, heavy morning rain and nasty wind conditions raising the normal CSS of 71 by three in round one to 74 and by two in the afternoon.
But that was good news for the scratch winner, already the possessor of a +2 handicap, for his first round 74 (35-39) was in the buffer zone and his brilliant second-round level par-matching 70 (34-36) three below the CSS to combine for his winning total of 144.
The North Youths champion in 2008 and silver medallist in the British boys' championship of 2007, Fotheringham (19) is a full-time amateur golfer and it showed in the second round when the conditions eased a little.
A birdie on the ninth hole for an outward 34 and a one over inward 36 pulled him four shots clear of Inverness pair Laurie Chancellor (77-71), David Joel (71-77) and Alex Webster (Moor Allerton) (75-73).
Joel, already with scratch prizes at Brora and Dornoch this season, found himself travelling home from Tain with his first piece of silverware. From a two handicap, his net 144 was in first place to win the David Rutherford Trophy followed by Webster with net 146, off one, leaving Chancellor to pick up the scratch second place.
Profiting from Joel and Webster moving out of the scratch rankings were locals Alan Everett, (71-78) moving to third place, Munro Ferries (76-76) fourth and, bettering his first round score by 11 shots, Doug Thorburn (Thurso) (82-71) into fifth place.
Closing in behind Webster in the handicap rankings were three locals, Ian Cooper (9), Craig Smith (3) and Ross Mackenzie (3), all with net aggregates of 147 to complete the handicap order.
Results (all Tain unless stated):
CSS 74 73
Scratch - Abdul Ghani Cup
144 F Fotheringham (The Nairn) 74 70.
148 L Chancellor (Inverness) 77 71, D Joel (Inverness) 71 77, A Webster (Moor Allerton) 75 73. 149 A Everett 71 78.
152 M. Ferries 76 76.
153 D Thorburn (Thurso) 82 71.
Handicap – David Rutherford Trophy.
144 D Joel (Inverness) (2).
146 A Webster (Moor Allerton) (1).
147 I Cooper (9), C Smith (Tain) (3), R. Mackenzie (3).
Individual Rounds
Scratch - K Matheson (Royal Dornoch) 73.
Handicap - K. Smith (5) 70.

Tain Pairs Scramble
Having prepared the course through inclement weather on Saturday morning, head greenkeeper Ian Macleod enjoyed better conditions when taking part in the Pairs Scramble on Sunday.
University friends of his elder son, Ross, twin brothers David and Graham McInroy from Ayrshire shunned the Open at nearby Turnberry, choosing instead a weekend break in Tain where, with Graham partnering Ross, they had the winning net score of 60.5 and with David doubling up with Ian they returned the scratch-winning score a 65.
Arriving in second handicap place were Mike Sangster and Chris Ilett 62.75 and third place went to Craig Watson and Donald J. Ross, 63.

Another Win at Golspie for Tain's Smith
With only a night to prepare for the Golspie Ladies Open on Saturday, where they got no let-up from rain-hit Lanark, the Vass sisters, still with sodden waterproofs, played only 14 of the scheduled holes and left it to their weather-seasoned aunts, Mary Smith and Anne Ryan, to finish first and second in the 18-hole tournament.
The Golspie scratch trophy seems to alternatebetween these two sisters. Smith was the winner in 2004 and Ryan in 2005. In 2007 it passed back to Ryan who made a successful defence last year but with a scratch 77, Smith regained the salver this year over her sister's 81.
The win came a day after Mary Smith learned she had retained her place in the Scottish Senior Ladies team to take part in the European Senior Ladies Team Championship at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club, Ireland from September 1 to 4. She made her international début last year in the same event in Holland.