Billy is the Main man in North-east Alliance

over 16-hole course at Portlethen

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
The last North-east Golfers’ Alliance fixture of the year produced an amateur 1-2-3 finish over a 16-hole par 63 course at Portlethen Golf Club today (Wednesday).
With the second and third holes not in use, Billy Main (Murcar Links) topped the field of 83 with a round of 60, but only by one shot from Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) with Steven Sharp (Newburgh) third on 62.
Main birdied the first, fourth, fifth and 18th and dropped only one shot, at the par-3 10th in halves of 24 (three under par) and 36 (level par).
Duncan, one of a handful of former US college circuit players who are making their mark on their return, made a moderate start with bogeys at the fourth and sixth but but he went on to birdie the seventh, ninth, 11th, 13th and 18th in halves of 27 and 34 for a two-under 61.
Later bogeys at the 10th, 14th and 16th cost the Ellon man victory.
Sharp achieved his 62 with halves of 26-36, birdieing the fourth, eighth and 18th but bogeying the ninth and 16th.
Professionals Ian Bratton (Newburgh) and Hamish Love (Oldmeldrum) went out last at 12.30 and got round in almost 3hr precisely. Bratton, whose late start enabled to watch an offspring’s school nativity play in the morning, finished joint fourth with Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) on level par 63, despite double bogeys at the 10th, 12th and 13th He compensated with an eagle at the fourth and birdies at the first, fifth, ninth, 14th, 15th and 18th in halves of 23 and 40.
The next meeting is at Craibstone Golf Centre on Wednesday, January 6.
LEADING SCORES
16-hole course, par 63.
SCRATCH
60 W Main (Murcar Links).
61 K Duncan (McDonald Ellon).
62 S Sharp (Newburgh).
63 K Nicol (Fraserburgh), I Bratton (Newburgh).
64 C Stephen (Meldrum House), P McIntosh (Bon Accord).
65 D Corkey (Murcar Links), A K Pirie (Hazlehead), J Forbes (Aboyne), J Nicolson (Auchmill), C Stewart (Kippie Lodge), D Leighton (Northern), R Lamb (Newmachar), H Love (Oldmeldrum)..
66 A Campbell (Deeside), C Duffus (Kemnay), P McLean (Peterhead), S Chalmers (Banchory).
67 A J Smith (Turriff), I Taylor (Stonehaven) G Mitchell junior (Braemar), I Taylor (Stonehaven), G Leslie (Hazlehead), M Merchant (Newmachar), R Pirie (Caledonian).
68 G Mitchell (Braemar), K Beveridge (Aboyne), D Clark (Duff House Royal), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), C Robb (Inchmarlo), A Dunton (McDonald Ellon).
69 B Harper (Newburgh), C Cassie (Nigg Bay), J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), M Jenkins (Duff House Royal).
70 S Cooper (Banchory), D Naylor (Banchory), J Borthwick (Craibstone), P Lovie (P1 Incorporate), J Duncan (Newburgh), R Bruce (Aboyne), D McKay (Caledonian).
HANDICAP
Class 1 – S Sharp (Newburgh) (4) 57; W Main (Murcar Links) (1) 59; P McIntosh (Bon Accord) (4) 60; C Duffus (Kemnay) (5), J Forbes (Aboyne) (4), J Nicolson (Auchmill) (4), D Leighton (Northern) (4), R Lamb (Newmachar) (4), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) (scr) 61; D Corkey (Murcar Links) (2), A J Smith (Turriff) (4), J Borthwick (Craibstone) (67), J Dalgarno (Hazlehead) (6), I Taylor (Stonehaven) (4), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) (5), A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2), G Leslie (Hazlehead) (4), M Merchant (Newmachar) (4) 63.
Class 2 – J Scott (Peterculter) (9) 63; M Booth (Kemnay) (11) 64; D Townsley (Peterculter) (13) 65; R Alison (Deeside) (13), R Brown (Craibstone) (11), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (9), D Randall (Banchory) (12) 67; J Penny (Huntly) (12), B Lumsden (Northern) (12) 68; C Sinclair (Aboyne) (12), N Stewart (Northern) (11) 69; M Brown (Craibstone) (16), I Grant (Huntly) (16) 72; S Davidson (Northern) (12), G Allan (Newmachar) (9) 72.

PORTLETHEN WINTER COURSE (Holes Nos 2 & 3rd not in play). Par 63
OUT: 4-X-X-5-3-4-4-3-4 -- 27. IN: 3-4-3-5-4-4-4-4-5 -- 36

LEADING SCORECARDS TODAY
BILLY MAIN 60
OUT: 3-X-X-4-2-4-4-3-4--24. IN: 4-4-3-5-4-4-4-4-4--36.
KEVIN DUNCAN 61
OUT: 4-X-X-6-3--5-3-3-3--27. IN: 4-3-3-4-3-4-5-4-4--34.
STEVEN SHARP 62
OUT: 4-X-X-4-3-4-4-2-5--26. IN: 3-4-3-5-4-4-5-4-4--36.
KRIS NICOL 63
OUT: 4-X-X-4-3-4-4-3-4--26. IN: 2-5-3-5-4-5-4-3-6--37
IAN BRATTON 63
OUT: 3-X-X-3-2-5-4-3-3--23. IN: 5-4-5-7-3-3-5-4-4--40