North-east Alliance returns with a bang to Deeside venue

Adam Lindsay (above) and Adam Dunton (on the right). Both images, and the one below of hole-in-one man Jim Scott, by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click to enlarge if you really want to!

Adam Lindsay is local hero

with brilliant 62 at Banchory

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Twice a winner on the American college circuit, Adam Lindsay, 23, playing over his home course, unofficially equalled his own Banchory amateur record with a brilliant round of seven-under-par 62 to head a field of 107 in today's North-east Golfers' Alliance tournament.

Lindsay's effort was achieved off individual winter mats for fairway shots - which some people find more difficult than playing off the deck - but it was still one of the finest displays on the midweek winter circuit for many a long year.
With one chip-in (at the fourth) and only 26 putts (12 at first nine holes) in all, scratch man Adam, who graduated in May after four years at Iowa Wesleyan University, birdied the first (5ft putt), fourth (chip in from 30ft), seventh (seven-iron, 7ft putt), eighth (12ft putt), 10^th (drove into rough, got down in two from 100yds), 15^th (drive and three-iron, pitch and putt), 16^th (10ft putt) and 17^th (30ft putt) n halves of 30 (three under par) and 32 (four under par).
It wasn't quite the perfect round – Lindsay had a bogey 5 at the fifth where he drove into the trees and came out into a bunker.
"I holed just about everything and was able to equal the 62 I had under "normal" conditions after I came home in May from the States," said Adam, son of Eric Lindsay, a very good district golfer in his day.
Adam Lindsay wants to pursue a career in golf but not as you would expect - with a view to becoming a European Tour-class pro.
No, Adam wants to become a qualified greenkeeper rather than as a club pro. "I don't fancy serving in a club pro's shop. I plan to go to Elmwood College, Cupar for training as a greenkeeper. At the moment I'm a part-timer waiter in the Banchory clubhouse," said the strapping six-footer who would be interested in any joining any club's greenkeeping staff to gain first-hand experience.
"I haven't made up my mind whether to be a part-time or full-time student at Elmwood. Going part-time takes twice as long to complete the course.£
Lindsay won by five shots by Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon), one of the last to finish in the huge field. He played the last few holes in near-darkness so a 67, under these circumstances, was a fine effort.
After birdieing the first and fifth, Dunton reached the turn in two-under 31 and moved to three-under the card with a 2 at the short 12th.
"I was still three under on the 14th tee but a mist suddenly came down - or maybe it was up from the wet ground - but, anyway, it got increasingly dark from then on. I ran up a double bogey 6 at the 14th but was able to play the last four holes in one-under-par with a birdie 3 at the 17th," said Dunton.
The moral of this story is that Dunton should seek an earlier tee time for next Wednesday's Alliance competition at Newmachar, by which time there will be even less daylight to get round the big fields the NE Alliance is pulling in these days.
Much the same applies to Dunton's clubmate Kevin Duncan who also came out of the near-darkness after 4.30pm with a highly-creditable 68 to tie for third place with former Aberdeen Links champion Barry Brooks (Meldrum House), Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) and Inchmarlo attached professional Paul Cormack.

Jim Scott (Peterculter), pictured above, had a hole in one with a No 8 iron at the third hole (125yd). "The ball pitched about a foot or two beyond the hole and spun back into the cup," said joyful Jim who was achieving his second hole in one, 25 years after the first, at Royal Dornoch.

His playing partners at Banchory were Scottish seniors match-play champion George Paterson (Northern) and Gordon Gray (Newmachar). Jim Scott was a low-handicap man some years ago before he drifted away from golf for one reason or another. Now a senior, and playing off 10, Jim's net 68 earned him a triple tie for first place in Class 2 handicap.

Banchory was in very good condition for its return to the North-east Alliance circuit after an absence of several years. The welcome was warm and the catering in the clubhouse - "The Florence Food Factory" - was first-class.
Everyone of the 107 competitors enjoyed themselves, even Newburgh-on-Ythan club pro Ian Bratton who twice forgot to play off his mat - and reported the fact to secretary Ron Menzies who had no option but to impose a four-stroke penalty (two for each offence) under the local rule. And so Ian's 70 became a 74.

LEADING SCRATCH

Par 69

62 A Lindsay (Banchory).

67 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon)

68 B Brooks (Meldrum House), P Cormack (Inchmarlo) p, K Nicol (Fraserburgh), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon).

69 S Finnie (Caledonian), R Pirie (Caledonian), B Nicolson (Auchmill), G Taylor (Hazlehead).
70 D Leighton (Northern), P Lovie (P1 Incorporate) p.

71 G Gordon (unatt) p, G Mitchell jun (Braemar), J Duncan (Newburgh), P McLean (Peterhead).

72 G Mitchell (Braemar), G H Paterson (Northern) s, S Larkin (Banchory), A K Pirie (Hazlehead) s.

73 A Campbell (Deeside), C Cassie (Nigg Bay), J M Hamilton (Murcar Links) s, F G Gray (Newmachar) s, C Trahan (Murcar Links), D Nelson (Aboyne) s.

74 C Nelson (Mackenzie Club) p, I Bratton (Newburgh) p, T Spencer (Inchmarlo), I D Smith (Hazlehead) s, C Carnegie (Kemnay), K Beveridge (Aboyne) ap.

75 D Clark (Duff House Royal, S Mackie (Kemnay), D Corkey (Murcar Links), M Jenkins (Duff House Royal), S Pert (Huntly).

76 A J Smith (Turriff), P McIntosh (Bon Accord), D McKay (Caledonian) s, R Lamb (Newmachar), C Stephen (Meldrum House), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), J Forbes (Aboyne).

77 D Wilson (Duff House Royal), C Law (Hazlehead), G Leslie (Hazlehead).

78 J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), H Roulston (Stonehaven), D MacKay (Newmachar), J Scott (Peterculter), G Munro (Fraserburgh), Laura Murray (Alford).

79 C Robb (Inchmarlo)

80 B Harper (Newburgh), L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), J Borthwick (Craibstone), R Hyland (Craibstone), D Bisset (Banchory) s.

HANDICAP

Class 1 – A Lindsay (Banchory) (scr) 62; D Leighton (Northern) (6) 64; R Pirie (Caledonian) (3, J Duncan (Newburgh) (5), J M Hamilton (Murcar Links) (7) s 66; B Nicolson (Auchmill (2), G Mitchell (Braemar) (5), B Nicolson (Auchmill) (2), F G Gray (Newmachar) (6) s, I D Smith (Hazlehead) (7) s 67; D Nelson (Aboyne) (5) s, K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) (scr) 68; B Brooks (Meldrum House) (+1), I Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) (7), A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) +2) 69; S Finnie (Caledonian) (+1), D McKay (Caledonian) (6) s, S Mackie (Kemnay) (5), G Taylor (Hazlehead) (+1), C Carnegie (Kemnay) (4), A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2) 70.

Class 2 – J Scott (Peterculter) (10) s, S Kennedy (Craibstone) (13), G Kelly (Peterculter) (14) 68; H McNaughton (Cruden Bay) (11) J Wilson (Deeside) (11) s, M Booth (Kemnay) (12), J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) (15) s, D Randall (Banchory) (15) s 70; L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) (9) s, D Bisset (Banchory) (9) s, R Alison (Deeside) (15) s 71; W Forbes (Murcar Links) (13) s, M Ord (Royal Aberdeen) (12) s 72; P Anderson (Deeside) (10), S Davidson (Northern) (13), B Lumsden (Northern) (14), I Strachan (Royal Aberdeen) (12) s, S Higgins (Royal Aberdeen) (11) s, C Brindley (Banchory) (10) 73; M F R Rogers (Kemnay) (15) s74; D Wood (Newburgh) (13) s, K Minty (Turriff) (9) s, C Sinclair (Aboyne) (14) 75.

BANCHORY SCORECARD: Par 69 (white tees; 5,813yd)
OUT: 4-3-3-4-4-5-3-4-3--33. IN: 5-4-3-4-4-5-3-4-4--36

LEADING SCORECARDS

ADAM LINDSAY 62 (-7)
OUT: 3-3-3-3-5-5-2-3-3--30. IN: 4-4-3-4-4-4-2-3-4--32

ADAM DUNTON 67 (-2)
OUT: 3-3-3-4-3-5-3-4-3--32. IN: 5-4-2-4-6-5-3-3-4--36

PAUL CORMACK 68 (-1)
OUT: 4-3-4-5-3-4-3-4-3--33. IN: 4-4-3-4-4-4-3-5-4--35

KEVIN DUNCAN 68 (-1)
OUT: 4-4-2-4-3-4-4-4-3--32. IN: 5-4-5-4-3-5-3-4-3--36

KRIS NICOL 68 (-1)
OUT: 4-3-3-4-4-5-3-4-3--33. IN: 4-3-3-3-3-4-3-3-3--35

BARRY BROOKS 68 (-1)
OUT: 4-3-2-5-4-5-4-4-2--33. IN; 4-4-4-3-4-5-4-4-3--35