GREAT SCOTT! HENDERSON WINS £2,116 AT GRAMPIAN

HOUSTON  JUNIOR TRIP PRO-AM

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
The Grampian Houston Junior Fund pro-am at Royal Aberdeen provided a home-town recipient – Scott Henderson (Kings Links) – for the biggest one-day prize of £2,116 on the Tartan Tour.
On a day, when the afternoon starters got the worst of the rain, Henderson made the most of a 10.10am tee time to lead the field of 42 pros with a two-under-par 69. He won by a single shot from David Patrick (Elie), PGA Cup player Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) and James McGhee (Turnhouse) whose 70 late in the day was a great effort.
Henderson, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency, birdied the sixth and eighth in an outward half of two-under-par 34. He got to three under par with a birdie at the 10th before dropping his first shot at the 11th. He cancelled that one out with a fourth birdie of the day, at the 12th, but shed one shot to par, at the 17th in an inward 35.
American Mark O’Meara, winner of the Masters and the Open in 1998, finished a creditable sixth on 72, which included a triple bogey 7 at the seventh. He had birdies at the second, fifth, 10th and 12th and bogeys at the fourth and 13th in halves of 38 (two over par) and 34 (one under). That was not a bad effort, considering he had not seen the Balgownie links before.
O'Meara has had to cancel plans to play in the Senior Open at Carnoustie this week.
Rather fittingly, the team headed by River Oaks Country Club, Houston’s director of golf, Bruce Davidson, won the pro-am with a net total of 13 under par 58. His amateur partners were Americna Bill Transier (handicap 13) and two well-known names from yesteryear in North-east golf: John Savage, now playing off six, and Craig Thomson, a nine-handicapper these days.
Bruce Davidson from Banchory originally and the man who set up the Kings Links Golf Centre before he emigrated to Texas, started the biennial Grampian Houston Junior Trips a couple of decades ago to give a dozen promising boy and girl golfers in the North-east a taste of what golf is like in America and perhaps lead to scholarship offers from US college coaches
The Grampian Houston Junior Fund pro-am and in particular the post-tournament dinner held at The Marcliffe last night raises the money which funds the biennial trips.
PROFESSIONAL SCORES
Par 71
69 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) (£2,116).
70 David Patrick (Elie), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), James McGhee (Turnhouse) (£1,305 each).
71 Chris Doak (unatt) (£762).
72 Mark O’Meara (US) (£635).
73 Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park), Mark Finlayson (Edzell), Euan Cameron (Hamilton), Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs), Gary Forbes (Murcar Links) (£398 each).
74 Craig Lee (Aspire), Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), Stephen Bray (Hayston), Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy), Greg McBain (Royal Dornoch) (£232 each).
75 Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie), Bruce Davidson (River Oaks, Houston), Colin Gillies (Braid Hills), Chris Kelly (Cawder), Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) (£112 each).
76 Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation), Paul Girvan (Kings Links), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) (£59 each)
77 David Ross (Royal Aberdeen), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Graham Fox (East Kilbride), Gordon Law (Uphall), David Law (Eastwood), Jonas Hedberg (Royal Aberdeen).
78 Mark King (Kingsfield), Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design), Lee Vannet (Carnoustie Golf Links) (£59 each).
80 Iain Buchan (Craibstone) (£59).
81 Sandy Aird junior (McDonald Ellon) (£59).
83 Stuart Callan (Bathgate) (£59)
Retired: Charlie Epps (US) (£59).
Disqualified: David Brown (Kemnay), Ricky Lyons (US), Craig Ronald (Carluke), David Leslie (Craigentinny) (£59 each).
LEADING NET TEAM TOTALS
58 Bruce Davidson (River Oaks CC) (£234)
59 Craig Lee (Aspire) (£234).
60 Chris Doak (unatt) (£234)
63 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), Gary Forbes (Murcar Links) (£234 each).