NE Alliance winner at Buckpool with five-under 65

Former British boys' champion

Jordan Findlay still a class act


By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Former British boys' champion Jordan Findlay, still a +2 amateur golfer after an unsuccessful bid to get on the Alps Tour, scored his first win on the North-east Golfers' Alliance circuit this season with a sparkling five-under-par round of 65 on a pleasant day at Buckpool.
The Fraserburgh man, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who played the American college circuit for four years as a student at East Tennessee State University, started hesitantly with a bogey 5 and dropped another shot at the fourth. But these were the only blemishes in halves of 33 (two under par) and 32 (three under).
Findlay birdied the third, seventh, eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th and 16th.
He headed a field of 80 by one stroke from another former US college player, Banchory's Scott Larkin, whose 66 had halves of 34 and 32. Larkin, who was a student at the College of Charleston, had three birdie 2s on his card. A bogey 6 at the 16th cost him a share of victory with Findlay.
Newburgh pro Ian Bratton had been the clubhouse leader for some time and by several strokes with a three-under-par 67. Eventually he finished joint third with Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon), another of the "young lions" who have rejuvenated the Alliance leaderboards this season.
Secretary Ron Menzies was telling me that the the NE Alliance can now boast three +3 amateurs and 17 members in all with "plus" handicaps, which must be some sort of record for the North-east Alliance.
Even the North-east District of the SGU officials sitting up and taking notice of performances on the winter circuit and that was not always the case.
Remember, there is an additional meeting - Portlethen next Wednesday - before the mid-winter break. If you have not got your name down for a tee time already, you are probably too late. Remember by next Wednesday it will be dark by 4pm if not earlier.
Buckpool may have had blue skies today but Aberdeen certainly did not and it pretty murky all day.
TODAY'S LEADING SCORES
SCRATCH
Par 70
65 J Findlay (Fraserburgh).
66 S Larkin (Banchory).
67 I Bratton (Newburgh-on-Ythan), A Dunton (McDonald Ellon).
68 P McLean (Peterhead), K Nicol (Fraserburgh).
70 F Bisset (Banchory).
71 A K Prie (Hazlehead), R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo).
72 W Main (Murcar Links), M Jenkins (Duff House Royal), B Nicolson (Auchmill), P McIntosh (Bon Accord), P Lovie (P1 Incorporate).
74 A Campbell (Deeside), A J Smith (Turriff), R Lamb (Newmachar), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon).
75 J Duncan (Newburgh), S Finnie (Caledonian), D Clark (Duff House Royal).
76 J Nicolson (Auchmill), D Leighton (Northern), Laura Murray (Alford).
77 P Morrison (Oldmeldrum), C Carnegie (Kemnay), B Shaw (Banchory).
78 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), J M Hamilton (Murcar Links), J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), R Bruce (Aboyne), R Pirie (Caledonian), T Collie (Kemnay).
79 S Pert (Huntly), S Sharp (Newburgh), M Merchant (Newmachar), A Lindsay (Banchory).
80 D Philip (Newburgh), M Forster (Cruden Bay)
HANDICAP
Class 1 - J Findlay (Fraserburgh) (+2) 67; F Bisset (Banchory) (2), S Larkin (Banchory) (+2) 68; A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2), P McIntosh (Bon Accored) (4), A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) (+2) 69; A J Smith (Turriff) (4), J Duncan (Newburgh) (5), R Lamb (Newmachar) (4), T Collie (Kemnay) (8) 70; P Morrison (Oldmeldrum) (6), B Nicolson (Auchmill) (2), J M Hamilton (Murcar Links) (7), J Dalgarno (Hazlehead) (7), B Shaw (Banchory) (6), D Leighton (Northern) (5), P McLean (Peterhead) (+3), K Nicol (Fraserburgh) (+3), M Jenkins (Duff House Royal) (1), Laura Murray (Alford) (5) 71.
Class 2 - D Randall (Banchory) (15) 68; N Stewart (Northern) (12) 69; R Brown (Craibstone) (12), I Strachan (Royal Aberdeen) (12) 70; S Kennedy (Craibstone (13) 72; D Bisset (Banchory) (9) 73; J Penny (Huntly) (13), G Kelly (Peterculter) (15) 75; L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) (9) 77; D Lawrie (Inchmnarlo) (13), B Skene (Peterculter) (11), N Parker (Murcar Links) (9) 78; J Scott (Peterculter) (10) 79.

BUCKPOOL SCORECARD
Par 70.
OUT: 4-4-5-4-4-3-4-3-4--35. IN: 4-4-4-3-4-3-5-4-4--35
JORDAN FINDLAY 65
OUT: 5-4-4-5-4-3-3-2-3--33. IN: 4-3-3-3-4-3-4-4-4--32.
SCOTT LARKIN 66
OUT: 4-3-4-4-5-2-4-4-4--34. IN: 4-4-3-2-4-2-6-3-4--32.
IAN BRATTON 67
OUT: 3-4-3-4-4-4-5-2-3--32. IN: 4-3-4-4-4-4-4-4-4--35.
ADAM DUNTON 67
OUT: 4-3-4-5-4-3-4-3-4--34. IN: 4-3-3-3-4-3-5-4-4--33.
KRIS NICOL 68
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-2-4-3-4--32. IN: 4-3-5-3-4-3-4-5-5--36.
PHILIP McLEAN 68
OUT: 4-4-4-5-5-3-5-3-4--37. IN: 4-4-3-3-4-2-4-4-3--31.