North-east Alliance title in doubt until mid-evening

CORMACK CHAMPION AFTER

SCORECARD HITCH

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Inchmarlo tour professional Paul Cormack, one of the last men to finish in a field of 85, was confirmed as winner of the North-east Golfers' Alliance championship more than two hours after he returned his second-round card at Cruden Bay today.
Cormack's two-under-par 68, coupled with last week's one-under-par 67 in the first round at Duff House Royal for a total of 135 gave him the title and earned him the Uniroyal Quaich by the resounding margin of eight strokes.
But they don't present the trophies until next week's foursomes at Murcar Links so there was no need for Paul to hang around the Cruden Bay clubhouse after he had finished.
However, during Alliance secretary Ron Menzie's thorough scrunity of all the scorecards at the end of the day, he noticed that Cormack's inward half total had been entered by his marker as 35 while the figures entered per hole added up to 34.
The 26-year-old player, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who spends much of his time playing on satellite tours in the United States, had left Cruden Bay for his Banchory home before the secretary could check out the discrepancy.
It was after 7.30pm before Ron Menzies was able to get hole of Cormack by phone and- fortunately - the player was able to confirm that the figures he had signed for at each hole were correct. And that's all that matters, the totals for halves are irrelevant if the the score per hole is correct.
Had it been the other way round, the player would have been disqualified, almost an astonishing repeat of last week's events at Duff House Royal where Phllip McLean, the leader, was disqualified long after he had left the course.
It was a double-eagle performance by Cormack who had a 3 at the long sixth and a 2 at the par-4 14th. He also birdied the second, fourth, and 12th - and also had five bogeys in halves of 34 (two under par) and 34 home (level).
"There was a fair mix of the good and the bad in that round," said Paul. "I'm glad it all worked out in the end."
For the record, Cormack's figures today were:
OUT: 5-3-4-2-4-3-4-4-5--34. IN; 5-4-2-6-2-3-4-4-4--34.
Joint second overall on a bright, sunny day but with a veering wind, eventually behind the players down the 17th and 18th, made conditions tricky, were Newburgh professional Ian Bratton who came home in 40 with six bogeys for a 76 and 143, a total matched 21-year-old Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon), who has played on the US college circuit, a 69 at Banff and a 74 today, which made him the winner of the J K Hall Quaich as the leading amateur.
Kevin Duncan's figures today:
OUT: 4-4-4-2-5-5-5--3-5--37. IN: 5-3-4-5-6-3-3-4-4--37.
Mike Jenkins (Duff House Royal), joint eighth overall with a scratch total of 148, won the Veterans' Cup.
Scotland international Laura Murray (Alford), the only female in the field, won
the Chapper's Pot with the lowest Class 1 net 36-hole aggregate of 138 with a pair of net 69s off her Alliance handicap (she plays off the men's tees) of four.
Her birdie 4 at the last followed one of the longest drives by anyone at the 18th.
Laura's figures were:
OUT: 4-4-5-4-6-5-4-3-4--39. IN: 4-2-5-5-4-3-4-4-3--34.
Alister Petrie (Oldmeldrum), who plays off 10, won the Major's Pot for the best Class 2 aggregate of 140.
No award for Fergus Bisset but the golf writer from Banchory deserved one for his loyalty to the North-east Alliance. Fergus played in the Sunningdale foursomes on Tuesday - and the Alliance championship today! He finished joint 12th in the scratch aggregates on 149 and qualified to play in the pro-am foursomes for the Evening Express Shield at Murcar Links next Thursday (draws for both scratch and handicap competitions can be seen below today's collated scores.
+Cruden Bay's "extra short hole" - it was played as the 12th - out at the far end of the course and played towards the North Sea, was well received by all the players I spoke to. It was the first time it had been played in a competition outwith Cruden Bay members.
+The general opinion was that, depending on the strength and direction of the wind, it could be a great, testing hole.
+The hole has been created so that it can be brought into play when another hole is having work done on it. Great idea, the envy of most golf clubs and their head greenkeepers!

2010 NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE CHAMPIONSHIP TOTALS
(first score at Duff House Royal, second score at Cruden Bay).
Par 138 (68 at DHR, 70 at Cruden Bay)
135 Paul Cormack (Inchmarlo) 67 68.
143 Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 69 74, Ian Bratton (Newburgh) 67 76.
144 Anthony Bews (Murcar Links) 70 74, Scott Larkin (Banchory) 72 72.
145 Stewart Finnie (Caledonian) 72 73.
146 Laura Murray (Alford) 73 73.
148 Justin Duff (Fraserburgh) 73 75, Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) 77 71, Craig Carnegie (Kemnay) 72 76, Mike Jenkins (Duff House Royal) 71 77.
149 Kyle Nelson (Murcar Links) 71 78, Fergus Bisset (Banchory) 72 77.
150 Duncan Clark (Duff House Royal) 72 78.
151 John Mitchell (Fraserburgh) 79 72, Jim Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) 74 77.
152 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 79 73, Richard Hyland (Craibstone) 73 79.
154 Paul McIntosh (Newburgh) 76 78, James Mooney (Kingsliffe) 79 75.
155 Stewart Pert (Huntly) 77 78.
158 David Wilson (Duff House Royal) 78 80.
159 Andrew Campbell (Deeside) 84 75.
160 Alister Petrie (Oldmeldrum) 80 80, Martin Forster (Cruden Bay) 78 82.
161 David Corkey (Royal Aberdeen) 75 86.
162 Mark Lawrie (Kemnay) 74 84.
165 Norman Stewart (Northern) 83 82.
166 Brian Harper (Newburgh) 80 86, Hamish McNaughton (Cruden Bay) 83 83, Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) 80 86.
167 Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay) 80 87, Dave MacKay (Newmachar) 81 86, Neil Chisholm (Kemnay) 80 87.
168 Mike Booth (Kemnay) 81 87.

HANDICAP
Class 1
138 Laura Murray (Alford) (4) 69 69.
140 C Carnegie (Kemnay) (4) 68 72.
143 K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) (scr) 69 74.
145 J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) (3) 71 74, K Nelson (Murcar Links) (2) 69 76, F Bisset (Banchory) (2) 70 75.
146 P McIntosh (Newburgh) (4) 72 74, M Jenkins (Duff House Royal) (1) 70 76; D Wilson (Duff House Royal) (6) 72 74.
147 S Finnie (Caledonian) (+1) 73 74.
Class 2
140 A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (10) 70 70.
141 N Stewart (Northern) (12) 71 70.
144 H McNaughton (Cruden Bay) (11) 72 72.
146 D Randall (Banchory) (15) 75 71.
148 M Booth (Kemnay (10) 71 77, N Parker (Murcar Links) (9) 71 77.
149 N Chisholm (Kemnay) (9) 71 78.

FOURSOMES DRAWS
Draws for the North-east Alliance pro-am foursomes at Murcar Links next Thursday and Friday are:
SCRATCH (Evening Express Shield).
10 min intervals
9.30: J Mooney (Kingsliffe) & K Nelson (Murcar Links) v D Naylor (Banchory) & A Bews (Murcar Links).
9.40 P Lovie (P1 Corporate) & D Clark (Duff House Royal) v R Hyland (Craibstone) & S Larkin (Banchory).
9.50 S Chalmers (Bnchory) & K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) v P Cormack (Inchmarlo) & M Jenkins (Duff House Royal.
10.0 I Bratton (Newburgh) & F Bisset (Banchory) v R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) & F Bisset (Banchory) v R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) & C Carnegie (Kemnay).
+Second round on Thursday afternoon.

HANDICAP (Press and Journal Trophy)
10.10 J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) & A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) v D Wilson (Duff House Royal ) & H McNaughton (Cruden Bay).
10.20 D Corkey (Royal Aberdeen) & B Lumsden (Northern) v M Forster (Cruden Bay) & N Parker (Murcar Links).
10.30 B Harper (Newburgh) & M Booth (Kemnay) v M Lawrie (Kemnay) & N Stewart (Northern).
10.40 P McIntosh (Newburgh) & D Randall (Banchory) v A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) & N Chisholm (Kemnay).

+Second round on Thursday afternoon; Finals on Friday morning.