NELSON SEES NO SLIPS UNTIL LAST TWO HOLES

- BUT STILL WINS NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE AT ELLON

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Bogeys at McDonald Ellon's difficult last two holes did not prevent professional Colin Nelson (MacKenzie Club) from winning today's North-east Golfers' Alliance and a cheque for £100.

He headed the biggest field of the season so far – 109 – with a three-under-par 67 (34-33), in which the highlight was a string of four birdies in a row from the second to the fifth.

Nelson, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, won by a shot from two amateurs, Adam Dunton, playing over his home course, and Anthony Bews (Murcar Links). Dunton's 30, including six 3s in a row, for the inward nine was equalled only by Callum Trahan (Murcar Links), one of four players on the 69 mark.

Bews came home in 31 as did professional Graham Gordon, the former Scottish amateur champion and past Walker Cup player.

Scottish women's amateur international Laura Murray (Alford), who has joined the Alliance so that she can sharpen up for the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School later in the year, had a creditable round of 72 off the men's tees.

With her +1 LGU handicap adjusted to 4 for the extra length of course she was playing, she finished joint third in the Class 1 handicap.
Kyle Nelson (Murcar Links), playing off 3, won the Class 1 handicap with a net 66 while Scott Mackie (Kemnay) was the winner by six shots of Class 2 with a net 65 off 11.
Leading scores (par 70)

SCRATCH
67 C Nelson (MacKenzie Club).
68 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon), A Bews (Murcar Links).

69 G Gordon (unatt), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon), C Trahan (Murcar Links), K Nelson (Murcar Links).

70 S Pert (Huntly), J Findlay (Fraserburgh), C Robb (Inchmarlo).

71 P McLean (Peterhead), G Taylor (Hazlehead), D Law (Hazlehead), F Bisset (Banchory).

72 P Cormack (Inchmarlo), Laura Murray (Alford), P Lovie (P1 Incorporate).

73 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), I Bratton (Newburgh), C Stewart (Kippie Lodge), C Law (Hazlehead), M Barnard (Inchmarlo).

74 A J Smith (Turriff), C Nicoll (Fraserburgh), J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen), I Buchan (Craibstone), K Beveridge (Aboyne), D Clark (Duff House Royal), J Nicolson (Auchmill).

75 A Campbell (Deeside), B Harper (Newburgh), S Sharp (Newburgh), S Chalmers (Banchory), R Pirie (Caledonian).

76 B Brooks (Meldrum House), N Murray (Cruden Bay), R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo), S Mackie (Kemnay).

77 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), M Lawrie (Kemnay).

78 J Forrest (Northern), C Graham (Newmachar), D McKay (Caledonian), C Duffus (Kemnay), M Merchant (Newmachar).

79 J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), T Collie (Kemnay), J Murray (Banchory), B Shaw (Banchory), F G Gray (Newmachar), M Foster (Cruden Bay).

80 H Roulston (Stonehaven), D Wilson (Duff House Royal), D Leighton (Northern)..

82 J Borthwick (Craibstone), C Buchanan (Hazlehead).

HANDICAP

Class 1

K Nelson (Murcar Links) (3) 66; C Cassie (Nigg Bay) (6) 67; S Pert (Huntly) (2), Laura Murray (Alford) (4) 68; B Harper (Newburgh) (6), F Bisset (Banchory) (2), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) (scr), A Bews (Murcar Links) (+1) 69; A J Smith (Turriff) (4), J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) (4), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) (7), J Forrest (Northern) (8), A Duncan (+2), C Trahan (Murcar Links) +1), J Nicolson (Auchmill) (4) 70.

Class 2

S Mackie (Kemnay) (11) 65; M Brown (Craibstone) (18), D Randall (Banchory) (15) 71; S Davidson (Northern) (14) 72; M Booth (Kemnay) (12), S Kennedy (Craibstone) (13), M Ord (Royal Aberdeen) (12) 73; G Kelly (Peterculter (14), G Allan (Newmachar) (10); N Chisholm (Kemnay) (9), G Mackie (Caledonian) (11), D Townsley (Peterculter) (15) 75.

McDONALD ELLON SCORECARD: Par 70
OUT: 4-4-4-5-4-4-3-4- 5: 37 IN: 4-3-3-4-4-3-4-4-4: 33

COLIN NELSON 67 (-3)
OUT: 5-3-3-4-3-4-3-4-5: 34. IN: 4-3-3-3-4-3-3-5-5: 33.

ADAM DUNTON 68 (-2)
OUT: 4-5-5-5-4-4-3-4-4: 38. IN: 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4: 30.

ANTHONY BEWS 68 (-2)
OUT: 4-4-4-6-4-3-3-5-4: 37. IN: 4-3-4-3-3-3-4-3-4: 31

GRAHAM GORDON 69 (-1)
OUT: 38. IN: 31.

KEVIN DUNCAN 69 (-1)
OUT: 37. IN: 32.

CALLUM TRAHAN 69 (-1)
OUT: 39. IN: 30.

KYLE NELSON 69 (-1)
OUT: 35. IN: 34

+THERE IS NO NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE FIXTURE NEXT WEDNESDAY BECAUSE OF THE SCOTTISH GOLFERS ALLIANCE CHAMPIONSHIP AT GULLANE IN MIDWEEK.
+THE NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE SEASON WILL RESUME AT INSCH GOLF CLUB ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14.