Dramatic finish to North of Scotland open amateur stroke-play

Steven Rennie (Drumpellier), Paul Shields (Kirkhill) and Inverness Golf Club captain David Connell (image by courtesy of Robin Wilson).

SHIELDS BEATS RENNIE IN INVERNESS PLAY-OFF TO WIN DAVID BLAIR TROPHY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Kirkhill’s Paul Shields won his first SGU 72-hole Order of Merit at Inverness this evening but not before the 19-year-old had come through the tension of a sudden-death play-off against Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) to win the North of Scotland men’s open amateur stroke-play championship for the David Blair Trophy.

They had tied on 276 after Rennie, in the much improved calm conditions, had produced two Sunday best rounds of five-under-par 64 to catch third-round leader Shields who had third and fourth round scores of 66 and 67.
The first hole in the play-off was halved in 4 before Shields won the title, the trophy and a £400 prize voucher with a 4 at the second play-off hole (the 18TH) to Rennie’s 5.
Shields, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, was beaten finalist in both the 2008 and 2009 Scottish boys’ championship finals. The young man who beat him on the latter occasion, at Royal Aberdeen, David Law (Hazlehead), finished third, two shots off the pace on 278 at Inverness with Sunday rounds of 65 and 68.
Having lowered the Hazlehead course record to 61 in midweek, Law seems  to be coming back to the form that won him the Scottish boys and men's amateur titles last year.
Fourth was Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie), Scottish amateur champion in 2005 at Southerness. Campbell recaptured some of his old form by leading at halfway with rounds of 70 and 72 in Saturday’s windier conditions.
But he could not hold the low-scoring young whippersnappers at bay when the wind dropped on the Sunday and he scored 69 and 71 for 282. Still it was a sign that there's a lot of good golf left in Campbell, especially when the conditions are testing.
Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs), pre-tournament favourite after winning the previous weekend’s North-east District Open by a comfortable margin, was disqualified on Saturday for signing a scorecard which contained a figure at one holer lower than he had actually taken.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 276 (4x69). CSS 73 73 71 70
276 Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 75 68 66 67, Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 77 71 64 64 (Shields won sudden death play-off at second extra hole).
278 David Law (Hazlehead) 73 72 65 68.
282 Glenn Campell (Blairgowrie) 70 72 69 71.
283 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 74 70 70 69.
287 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 72 73 74 688.
289 Michael Buchan (Cruden Bay) 74 75 72 69.
290 Ross Bell (Downfield) 81 70, 71 68, Jeff Wright (Forres) 74 70, 73 73.
291 Bruce Thomson (Inverness) 74 73 69 75.
293 Gary Thomson (Moray) 78 76 70 69.
294 Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 77 75 69 73, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 78 73 73 70, Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) 72 76 75 71.
295 Graham Robertson (Silverknowes) 80 75 71 69, Bryan Fotheringham (Inverness) 76 77 69 73, Euan Forbes (Inverness) 74 76 72 73.
296 Sean Thomson (St Andrews) 76 73 73 74.
297 John Forbes (Inverness) 80 74 71 72, Mike MacDonald (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 74 74 78 71.
298 Ed Wood (Crow Wood) 79 75 75 69, Kevin Thomson (Moray) 77 76 73 72, Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 75 75 73 75, Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) 78 72 74 74.
299 Steven Neilson (Dunbar) 77 78 71 73, Allan Cameron (Inverness) 76 78 78 67, Jordan Milne (Elgin) 72 79 73 75.
301 Chris Gaittens (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 73 81 77 70, Lyle McAlpine (Invergordon) 74 80 77 70.
302 Neil McWilliam (Elgin) 72 78 81 71.
304 Stewart Tatters (Moray) 78 76 73 77, Lewis Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 78 75 77 74.
305 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 72 77 82 74.
306 David Joel (Inverness) 77 75 82 72.
310 Colin Taylor (Kinloss) 71 83 80 76.
311 Euan Polson (Inverness) 81 74 77 79.
316 Jamie Treasurer (Inverness) 82 73 75 86.
NRs John Duff (Newmachar) 75 78 -, David Forsyth (Newmachar) 78 75 -,
Withdrew: Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 76 77 -.
MISSED THE CUT
156 Scott Moffat (Alloa) 80 76, Christopher Forman (Peterhead) 79 77, Michael Daily (Erskine) 76 + 80.
157 Joshua Clark (Royal Montrose) 79 78, Derek Ramsay (Elgin) 77 80. 1
158 Graeme Anderson (Keith) 84 74.
159 Rodger Clarke (Elgin) 77 82.
160 Sean Burgess (Nairn) 84 76, Aaron Sweeney (Carnoustie) 79 81.
163 Richard Barr (Newmachar) 88 75, Freddie Brown (Nairn Dunbar) 81 82.
164 Stuart Connell (Inverness) 83 81, Colin Brodie (Meldrum House) 83 81, Tom Dingwall (Nairn Dunbar ) 82 82.
165 Corin Stewart (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 83 82.
166 Mark Morrissey (Mt Wolsey) 84 82.
171 Ewan Barras (Inverness) 82 89.
NRs Cameron Nelson (Nairn) 77 -, Cameron Dixon (Hopeman) 89 -.
Withdrew: Malcolm MacLeman (Moray) 72 81 153; Paul Betty (Lenzie) 79 -
Disqualified: Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs).