David Patrick with the UniRoyal championship trophy at Gullane (image by courtesy of alliance secretary Keith Liddle).

David Patrick wins East of Scotland Alliance title by three

David Patrick (Elie) won the Edinburgh & East of Scotland Alliance championship over the Gullane Nos 2 and 3 courses today.

He totalled 131, made up of a 70 over No 2 and a 61 over No 3.

There were at least five scores better than David's over the longer No 2 course but his 61 over the shorter lay-out was four strokes better than anyone else at that venue.

Neil Bain (Haddington), Scott Catlin (Greenburn) and Neil Colquhoun (Merchants) all finished three shots behind Patrick on 134, Bain with two rounds of 67, and both Catlin and Colquhoun with 69s at No 2 and 65s at No 3.

Bain, a five-handicapper, had the consolation of returning easily the lowest net total of 134.

MARTIN DEMPSTER'S REPORT FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS:

A day that had an ugly start for David Patrick produced a pretty ending as he regained the East of Scotland Alliance Championship at Gullane.
The former Walker Cup player from Edinburgh woke up with one of his eyes puffed up like a golf ball and wondered if he'd be able to play in the two-round event.But, after having problems with gauging distances on the greens on a morning 70 on the No 2 course, Patrick found his range as he stormed to the top of the leaderboard with an afternoon 61 on the shorter No 3 course.

His eight-under-par total of 131 gave him a three-shot win over Scott Catlin, the defending champion from Greenburn, Merchants pro Neil Colquhoun and Haddington amateur Neil Bain as Patrick repeated his UniRoyal Trophy triumph at Dalmahoy in 2008.

"I was doing stuff around the house on Tuesday night and I might have rubbed my eye after touching something or, alternatively, something might have got into my eye," said the 35-year-old.

"When I woke up in the morning, my eye was the size of a golf ball and I couldn't open it."It was still streaming when I started out for my first round, during which I had five three-putts. I kept hitting my first putt long and couldn't stop it. Thankfully, it got better as the day went on."

Three off the pace on the No 2 course after his opening effort, Patrick, who is attached to Elie these days, made his move with a sparkling start to his afternoon round.

He went 3-2-2-3 to be four-under after four – and reckoned it could have been even better.

"I holed from ten feet and 15 feet for birdies at the first and second then chipped in for an eagle at the third," he revealed.

"I should also have had an eagle at the fourth, missing from eight feet, but it was still probably my best-ever start to a round."

A poor sand wedge led to his only dropped shot of the round at the 12th before he finished in much the same way as he'd began – reeling off three straight birdies.

"I've not been playing much but have been working on my short game and feel my putting in particular has improved as a result of some stuff I've been doing in the house," added Patrick, who is gearing up for a first season of playing in pro-ams on the Tartan Tour.

After an opening 65 on the No 3 course – an effort matched in the morning by Colquhoun and Royal Burgess amateur Ian Taylor – Catlin maintained his excellent defence of the title with a second-round 69 to claim second spot.

The outstanding amateur performance of the day came from five-handicapper Bain, who claimed the Gavin Clark Trophy with two superb net 62s."They've got to be the two best rounds of my life," admitted the 45-year-old, who works as a project manager for Hewlett Packard in Edinburgh, having moved to the Capital from the Highlands, where he was a former club champion at Abernethy.

LEADING SCRATCH TOTALS

Gullane No 2 score first, Gullane No 3 score second.

131 David Patrick (Elie) 70 61.

134 Neil Bain (Haddington) 67 67, Scott Catlin (Greenburn) 69 65, Neil Colquhoun (Merchants) 69 65.

137 Colin Fraser (Peebles) 68 69.

138 Terry Mathieson (King's Acre) 72 66, Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 72 66.

139 Ross Neill (Drumpellier) 70 69, Richard Johnston (Glenbervie) 71 68, Alan Reid (West Lothian) 71 69, Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) 74 65.

140 Ryan Buckley (Craigielaw) 71 69, Gordon Law (Uphall) 71 69, Scott Grieve (Turnhouse) 71 69.

141 Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 75 66, Thomas Wilson (Glenbervie) 73 68, David Graham (Duddingston) 72 69, Mike Thomson (Torwoodlee) 71 70.

142 Grant Skinner (Glencorse) 74 68, Tom Buchanan (Duddingston) 68 74, Chris Morris (Kingsknowe) 74 68, Andrew Erskine (Ratho Park) 74 68, George Wither (Lothianburn) 74 68.

143 Craig Imlah (Peebles) 72 71, Stuart Callan (Bathgate) 77 66, Andrew Marshall (Houston GR) 72 71.

144 Andrew Rothney (Deer Park) 74 70.

145 Andrew Wight (Glencorse) 73 72, Robert Denholm (Duddinston) 75 70, Steven Doyle (Gifford) 76 69, Scott Knowles (Kingsknowe) 75 70.

146 Derek Fish (Glenbervie) 77 69.

LEADING HANDICAP

124 Neil Bain (Haddington) (5) 62 62.

131 David Graham (Duddingston) (5) 67 64.

135 Richard Johnston (Glenbervie) (2) 69 66 , Robert Denholm (Duddingston) (5) 70 65, David McKean (Cardrona) (8) 70 65.

136 Grant Skinner (Glencorse) (3) 71 65, Peter Sewell (West Linton) (6) 69 67.

137 Colin Fraser (Peebles) (scr) 68 69, Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) (1) 73 64, Thomas Wilson (Glenb ervie) (2)71 66, Stgeven Doyle (Gifford) (4) 72 65, Ian Jeavons (Dubar) (5) 71 66.

138 Ian Jeavons (Dunbar) (5) 71 66.

138 Philip Leggate (Musselburgh) (9) 78 60.

139 Thomas Cordery (Musselburgh) (4)70 69, Stephen Gilhooley (Duddingston) (6) 70 69, Graeme Johnston (Glenbervie) (6) 68 71.

141 Scott Knowles (Kingsknowe) (2) 73 68, Arthur Harper (Dunfermline) (4) 71 70, Wilson Morton (Dunbar) (4) 70 71, William Laing (Prestonfield) (6) 74 67, David Jeffrey (Whitekirik) (8) 70 71.

PRIZELIST
Scratch
1st £300 David Patrick (Elie) 131
2nd equal £200 voucher Neil Bain (Haddington) 134
2nd equal £200 Scott Catlin (Greenburn) 134
2nd equal £200 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants) 134
5th £100 Colin Fraser (Peebles) 137

Winner of the Gavin Clark Trophy (Best net score)
Neil Bain (Haddington)

Handicap vouchers
1st £150 David Graham (Duddingston) 131
2nd equal £100 Richard Johnston (Glenbervie) 135
2nd equal £100 Robert Denholm (Duddingston) 135
2nd equal £100 David McKean (Cardrona) 135
5th equal £25 Grant Skinner (Glencorse) 136
5th equal £25 Peter Sewell (West Linton) 136