McAlpine heads strong field for

S E District event at Dunbar

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Kevin McAlpine, the former Scottish stroke-play and match-play champion, looks like the man to beat in this weekend's South East District Championship at Dunbar.
The 25-year-old Alyth golfer, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, required a cruciate ligament knee operation at the start of the year after picking up an injury playing football and was sidelined until the East of Scotland Open at the end of June.He then gave a good account of himself in the Scottish Amateur Championship at Troon before returning to the winner's circle with a four-stroke victory in the North of Scotland Open at Lossiemouth last weekend.

"The knee injury ruined all my hopes of chasing a Walker Cup place and playing in the Home Internationals but I'm still going to have a second go at the Tour School," said McAlpine ahead of his visit to East Lothian this weekend.

As was always going to the case, the Dunbar event is missing all the players who were on duty for Scotland in the Home Internationals at Hillside but McAlpine still won't get it all his own way over the superb East Links.

Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol, for example, is also on good form, having won the North East equivalent just under a fortnight ago at Peterhead, where he beat local favourite Philip McLean, also playing at Dunbar, in a play-off.

Dollar's Scott Borrowman, Gordon Yates, from Hilton Park, and St Andrews New's Greg Paterson, all of whom were in the reckoning for the Home Internationals but just missed out on places at Hillside this week, former Amateur champion Craig Watson and Jordan Finlay, the ex-British Boys' champion are also in the field.

There's a strong Dunbar contingent, including Zander Culverwell, Stephen Neilson, Stephen Simants and Dean Muir, while other Lothians players looking to make their presence felt over a course they also know well are the likes of Steven Armstrong, Mark Hillson and rising star Grant Forrest.

***The full article above appears in the Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.