Robin Wilson's North News Round-up

Two Kevins are Golspie winners

Royal Dornoch's Kevin Matheson put in a gusty show in difficult conditions to retain the Campbell Shield at Golspie last Saturday and Brora's Inverness based member Kevin MacLeod won the Millicent Bowl breaking Dornoch's stranglehold of both trophies from twelve months ago.
The repeat scratch success by Matheson, pictured by Robin Wilson,  means his name is now on the Campbell Shield for the third time since 2006 and MacLeod's first Millicent win comes as a surprise for since he won the Clynelish Shield at Brora last August he has had no competitive golf. He is now working in Perth and although still living in Inverness has even given up his Torvean Golf Club membership to join Brora.
As a result McLeod's handicap has remained in double figures which showed through with a troublesome start on his return to competitive play at Golspie, his opening figures 7,3,4, 8, the triple bogey 8 coming from a visit to the beach at the fourth hole. Another 7 arrived on his card at the next par five hole the result of a lost ball but intertwined into these mishaps were signs of past form which brought a gross 81 and an opening net 70. In contrast MacLeod's second round began with a birdie three before the 4th hole caught up with him again by playing the wrong ball on his second shot to take seven. Once more his play steadied up and his gross 82 for net 71 left him with the leading net 36 hole aggregate score of 141 to win the Millicent Bowl at his first attempt.
Kevin Matheson's first round 73 was a good effort and led by one from former Campbell Shield winner, Brora's Roddy Cameron. As the afternoon wind rose in strength Matheson's second round card rose to 77 with a cluster of bogies on the inward stretch. Cameron was doing the same in a 78 allowing a second round charge from Tain's Billy Ferries pip the Brora player for second place on the better second round score decision.
Earlier in the week Ferries was eliminated from the Tain club championship but gained a late entry to Golspie where his first round 78 left him a lot to catch up. But in round two the ex Ross County footballer came in with a 74 to match Cameron's 152 total and get awarded second place.
Robin Murray was making a bid to retain the Bowl for Royal Dornoch after a first round net 70,off 6, but his net 77 in round two dropped him out of the race. Local teenager Andrew Coghill held a four shot lead over MacLeod in round one but his attempt to become the first local winner since Craig J. Mackay three years ago his effort ground to a halt in round two with net 81 leaving his clubmate Tim Featherstone to claim second place behind MacLeod with nett 72 & 75 for 147 but Featherstone taking the consolation of heading the Class 2 returns.
Results
CSS (Round 1, 72. Round 2, 72 R/O)
Scratch
Campbell Shield
150 K Matheson (RDGC) 73 77.
152 B Ferries (Tain) 78 74, R S Cameron (Brora) 74 78.
156 R Bremner (Golspie) 77 79.
159 R D Murray (RDGC) 76 83.
Handicap
Millicent Bowl
Class 1 - K MacLeod (Brora) (11) 141; R D Murray (RDGC) (6) 147; R Bremner (Golspie) (4) 156. Class 2 – T Featherstone (Golspie) (16) 147; P Allan (Golspie) (13) 158.

An Albatross Flies in at Tain.

Alan Everett won the Tain Club Championship for the first time, beating previous four time champion Munro Ferries in the final on the 17th green. Since his last championship win in 2008 Ferries has now lost in the last two finals.
Engraved also in the memory of Everett's first Tain championship was a glorious albatross ace at the course's par-4 seventh hole. Wind assisted from the tee, Everett's ball travelled the 377 yards into the hole for the three under par score. The Portmahomack-based golfer is also a member at Tarbat Golf Club where he has also been club champion.
The handicap final at Tain was won by past captain Ian Innes who overcame Alister Melville
after 16  holes.
“Albatross” is the name given to a score of three under par at a hole. They are more rarer than the Birdie (one under par) or the Eagle (two under par). An Albatross can only be bettered by a “Condor” (four under par) of which only four have been recorded in history. An Ostrich (five under par) at the very few par six holes in the world has never been achieved.

Royal Dornoch Senior Open

With an almost uncontrollable down wind gale over the opening eight holes only one player, five handicapper John Robertson (Hawick) managed to break 80 in the Royal Dornoch Seniors Open last Saturday to win the Robbie Grant Cup and gold medal.
It was also a visiting player who won the Duncan Murray Quaich and silver medal for the lowest net score, a 73 which just bettered the CSS of the day by one stroke, the CSS by three to 74, was also won by a visiting golfer, Bill Anderson from Bellport Golf and Country Club, New York..
Local handicap winners were Peter Haworth in age Category A and Stuart Shaw in Category C. The strength of the wind and the hard running fairways reduced the 479 yard 7th hole to a driver and a putter for former Carnegie Shield Winner Fraser Urquhart (Inverness), And many other outward holes on the outward half were reduced to drives and short wedges.
Results
CSS 74 Reduction only for all
Scratch
John Robertson (Hawick) 77, Robbie Grant Cup and Gold Medal.
Handicap
Bill Anderson (USA) (14) 73,  Robbie Grant Cup and Gold Medal. Handicap - Bill Anderson (USA) (14) 73, Duncan Murray Quaich and Silver medal.

Category A (55-60) Peter Haworth (RDGC) (8) 77. Willie Mackay (RDGC) (20) 78. John Neilson (Tillicoultry) (15) 80.
Category B (60-65) – Rob Cunningham (Dalmahoy) (14) 74 (bih). Peter McMullan (Dunfermline) (7) 74. David Maclean (RDGC) (11) 74.
Class C (65-70) Stuart Shaw (RDGC) (18) 74. John White (Greenburn) (13) 75. Colin D Campbell (Gullane) (6) 75.
Category D (over 70) James Cunningham (Tain) (6) 75. Woody Maclaren (RDGC) (15) 76. George MacDonald (RDGC) (10) 77.