Graham Robertson ends best-ever season as

Lothians No 1

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Graham Robertson has added the icing to the cake in his best-ever season by winning the Lothians Order of Merit for the first time.
And the 33-year-old's joy is being shared by rising star Ross Brydon, who held on to top the Boys' table as it also came to an exciting conclusion.
Robertson, a member at both Silverknowes and Turnhouse, got his season off to a flying start by lifting the Stuart Cup as leading qualifier for the Lothians Championship.
He suffered a disappointing early exit in the match-play phase at Royal Burgess before bouncing back to help Silverknowes win the Dispatch Trophy.
The mechanical engineer then chalked up a notable double at Turnhouse, winning the Open and the club championship.
He recently helped Turnhouse win the Edinburgh Inter-Club title and was relieved his appearance in the latter stages of that event didn't cost him the Order of Merit title.
Swanston New's Malcolm Campbell, who was lying in second place, also missed the final counting tournament at Longniddry due to the fact he was playing in the North-East Open.
But Pumpherston's Paul Drake headed into the East Lothian event still in with a chance of winning the Order of Merit title again, while a victory for Keith Reilly there would have seen him match clubmate Robertson's total.
As it was, the top three places in an event being supported this season by Carrick Neill didn't alter, with Robertson finishing with a winning total of 293, followed by Campbell (276) and then Drake (246).
"I'm normally lucky to win one title in a season, so I'm obviously delighted to have picked up five or six this time around," said the winner.
"It was great to have the Lothians Order of Merit back again this season and, since Tam Caldwell won it a few years ago, I've definitely had my eye on trying to win it."
In addition to local events, Robertson has also played tournaments, on occasion, in the SGU Order of Merit this season, the latest of which is this weekend's South East District Open at Mortonhall.
"It's about trying to test yourself at the highest level and there's no doubt you can gain confidence from playing in these events," he added.
"Due to the fact the Scottish Order of Merit title is still up for grabs, I believe the Mortonhall event has attracted a very strong field.
"My aim, first and foremost, will be to make the cut and if I can achieve that, then hopefully I could kick on in the final two rounds and maybe even target a top ten."
Brydon, a 16-year-old who has just gone into fifth year at Boroughmuir High School, was also rewarded for his consistency as he topped the Boys' merit table, sponsored by the Scottish Industrial Sports Association.
A member at two Capital courses - the Merchants and Bruntsfield Links - Brydon scored in six events, winning at North Berwick, where he also plays, Kilspindie and Uphall.
Newbattle's Lee Morgan a close third on 408.
Bain also scored in six events but failed to register a win, while Morgan triumphed twice - at Glencorse and Dalmahoy.
"I played pretty consistently from start to finish," said Brydon, whose win was remarkable given that he missed some of the early events due to a combination of being on holiday and also competing in the Scottish Boys' Under-16 Championship.
"Ironically, the final counting event at Dalmahoy was probably the one I played worst in but, luckily, I had amassed enough points prior to that."
Brydon admits he's benefited from Kurt Mungall's coaching through the Lothians Golf Association as well as some work he's been doing with Ian Young at the Braid Hills Golf Centre.
"I've definitely become a more consistent player while my short game has also been good this year," he added.


Lothians Order of Merit, supported by Carrick Neill.
Leading final positions:
1 Graeme Robertson (Silverknowes) 293
2 Malcolm Campbell (Swanston New) 276
3 Paul Drake (Pumpherston) 246
4 Stephen Simants (Dunbar) 215
5 Keith Reilly (Silverknowes) 193
6 Paul Gault (Westerwood) 153
7 Duncan Martin (Longniddry) 123
8 Thomas Beattie (Grangemouth), Tom Caldwell (Silverknowes) 112
10 David Donaldson (Bruntsfield Links) 110
11 Scott Cunningham (Royal Musselburgh) 93
12 Chris Wood (Longniddry), Scott Young (Turnhouse) 85
14 Lawrie Main (Gullane), Craig Neilson (Dunbar), Colin Robinson (Largs) 78.
Lothians Boys Order of Merit, sponsored by the Scottish Industrial Sports Association.
Leading final positions:
1 Ross Brydon (The Merchants) 470pts
2 Lewis Bain (Turnhouse) 453
3 Lee Morgan (Newbattle) 408
4 Chris Low (Tantallon) 326
5 Louis Gaughan (Bathgate) 238
6 Stuart McLaren (Bruntsfield Links) 225
7 Ryan Boyle (Bathgate) 186
8 Daniel Eardley (Liberton) 147
9 Josh Cullerton (Carrickvale) 141
10 Connor Syme (Dumfries and Co) 140
11 Andrew Young (Turnhouse) 135
12 Josh Rooney (Marriott Dalmahoy) 125
13 Sean Walter (West Linton) 115
14 D J Docharty (Bonnyton) 100
15 Ross Fergus (Swanston New) 98
16 James Park (Royal Burgess) 95
17 Fraser Thain (West Linton) 93
18 Nathan Free (Craigielaw), Connor Gray (Bathgate), Aiden Donnelly (Turnhouse) 85.