Chalmers beats MacBeath in Sutherland county title play-off

By ROBIN WILSON
Royal Dornoch's Panmure-based member Dougall Chalmers won the Sutherland county championship for a second time at Golspie, beating former winner James MacBeath (Brora) in a three hole play-off.
Chalmers had previously won in 1999 and was a bronze medallist in 1988 while MacBeath won the silver medal in 2003 and bronze on five other occasions.
When these two players last faced each other in a trophy situation, last August's final of the Clynelish Shield at Brora, it was MacBeath who emerged with the silverware but at Golspie it was revenge time for the 53-year-old Chalmers who took the first step of downing his opponent with a birdie 4 on the opening hole of the play-off and followed up with two more 4s to win the three hole shoot-out.
The weather began cold and wet for the early starters in the field of 45 and when the first round was completed there was a surprise leader, Royal Dornoch's five handicapper, Bryan Urquhart. Urquhart brought in a one under par 69 (35-34) with the help of an eagle 3 at the par-5 fourth hole and a birdie on the seventh to be out in one under par. Two birdies, at the 13th and 14th, and two bogeys, at the 16th and 17th, squared of his inward card to 34.
While Urquhart was doing his bit to keep the cup in Dornoch for a sixth consecutive year, clubmate Chris Mailley was ruling himself out of a winning hat-trick year with a soul-destroying first nine-hole count of eight-over-par 44 with only one par figure on his card.
But following his double bogey at the ninth, the holder then showed true champion's character by scoring level par for his next 27 holes and eventually finished in a very creditable fifth place with 78 and 70 for 148.
Closing up behind Urquhart's first-round one-shot lead were Chalmers, level-par 70 (36-34), MacBeath 71 (36-35) and a third Dornoch member, Neil Munro 72 (38-34).
In the mix to win his first major title since joining Royal Dornoch was the 1972 Scottish Stroke-play champion Bert Nicholson with a 73 (35-38) and behind him twice former winner Brora's Roddie Cameron 75 (37-38).
By the afternoon the rain had cleared but a stiff westerly wind became the problem. Urquhart was still a threat with an acceptable outward two over par 38 but the first sign of stress protecting his lead was shown by the five handicapper at the 14th hole when he took four to get down from the edge of the green and the subsequent bogey 6 was immediately followed by another 6 on his card.
The best he could post ahead of the chasing bunch was a 77 (38-39) for a clubhouse target of 146. Eventually he was overtaken and fell back to fourth place but he took away the consolation of leading the nett returns on 136 and leaving behind the altered Golspie course with its first record score of 69 since the first hole became a par-5 and the 15th hole lengthened.
Neil Munro then briefly led on 144 after repeating his opening 72 with two birdie 2s in his last nine holes, the 10th and seventeenth, giving him an inward 33 to recover from his outward 39. A fine effort from Munro who is now proving to be the best of the young generation coming out of Royal Dornoch.Next leader in the clubhouse was Chalmers who finished with bogey 5 for 72 (37-35) leaving him with the anxious wait for MacBeath, the one other player still out on the course who could catch or better his 142 target. Early in his second round the Brora champion birdied the second hole but in a repeat of his costly 5 in the eventual play-off he bogeyed the third hole and with a bogey at the ninth was one over par.
He remained one over par facing Golspie's difficult three finishing holes but made par at all three to turn in another 71 (37-34) and force the play-off..
Chalmers last win at Golspie also came after a play-off. In 1999, coincidently the same year as he won his first County Cup, he beat an ex-Dornoch clubmate, Stuart Shaw, in extra holes to win the 54 hole Golspie Classic. With caddy Glen Herbertson, a former three time Sutherland junior champion, despatched to the car for the clubs, Chalmers found the green at the par-5 opening hole and, after a ropey first putt, holed the next to strike first with a birdie 4. MacBeath levelled at the second when Chalmers was bunkered and the Brora member looked favourite at the third hole after a long drive put him within a short iron of the green.
Chalmers came up just short of the green but MacBeath did not do his drive justice, hitting his wedge shot short and left almost into a bunker. He had to stand in the bunker to play his third which he did pretty successfully to within five feet but leaving a slippery downhiller for his 4. From the front of the green Chalmers rolled his third up to two feet. MacBeath missed the putt for 4and Chalmers found the middle of the cup for his third 4 and well deserved second title 11 years after his last celebration.
Urquhart, with a net 136, was first handicap followed by two of the 17 entries from the home club, Jamie Oliver and John Cameron.
In charge of the presentation on behalf of the North District was Golspie Captain, John Davies and in the winner's speech Chalmers praised Golspie head greenkeeper Alex MacDonald for the turn around in the condition and alterations carried out to the course since he has been in charge.

Results
CSS am 70, pm 69.
Scratch
142 J G MacBeath (Brora) 71 71), D W R. Chalmers (Royal Dornoch) 70 72 (Chalmers won three-hole play-off).
144 N Munro (Royal Dornoch) 72 72.
146 B Urquhart (Royal Dornoch) 69 77.
148 C Mailley (Royal Dornoch) 78 70).
149 D Hexley (Golspie) 79 70, R S Cameron (Brora) 75 74.
150 B Nicholson (Royal Dornoch) 73 77).
151 R. D Murray (Royal Dornoch) 76 75), A MacDonald (Royal Dornoch) 77 75).
153 A J Gill (Brora) 76 77, K A Matheson (Royal Dornoch) 76 77.
154 M Bonner (Golspie) 78 76, G Rutherford (Brora) 76 78.
155 K G Sinclair (Golspie) 76 79.
156 A MacDougall (Golspie) 82 74, H Macrae (Royal Dornoch) 81 75), C Mackay (Golspie) 79 77), G Grant (Brora) 77 79.
158 J Oliver (Golspie) 80 78.
159 W Short (Royal Dornoch) 81 78.
Handicap
 136 B Urquhart (Royal Dornoch) (5) 64 72.
 138 J Oliver (Golspie) (10) 70 68, J S Cameron (Golspie) (13) 69 69.

Royal Dornoch champion Lyle McAlpine is Ross county champion 

Immediate past North District Youth Champion, Lyle McAlpine (Invergordon) won the Royal Dornoch club championship the previous weekend by turning in a final round card of two under par 68 to deny by one stroke the champion for the past two years, overseas member John Lindberg (Sweden), a hat-trick of winning years.
McAlpine won with a 72-hole total of 286 (72 73 73 68) then chose his native county (Ross-shire) to play in and win the Ross-shire county championship last weekend.
With a shocking entry of only 20 at Tain, McAlpine returned 74 and 71 to win his first county title by a stroke from Alan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) (72-74). Third place went to local Billy Ferries 74 74 for 148.

John Forbes win Inverness county title for second time
The Inverness county championship, played over the par 70 Newtonmore course, was won for a second time by Inverness's John Forbes (24) on the back of a first round five under par 65.
Forbes added a second round 69 to win by five from the 2000 champion and club mate Bruce Thomson. Thomson taking a double bogey 6 from just 80 yards at the ninth hole in his first round 72 left him too much to do in his second round 67. He took the runners-up medal with 139.
Local member Jordan Shaw broke an Inverness top three with 72 and 71 for 143. In fourth place came Inverness's Jamie Treasurer on 144 (75 69).