FOUR FROM TARTAN TOUR TOP 20


BID FOR SCOTTISH ALLIANCE TITLE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Late entries by Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills), pictured,  and Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation) mean there will be four players from the Tartan Tour’s current top 20 money-winners in the field for the Scottish Alliance championship over 54 holes at Murcar Links and Newburgh-on-Ythan from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
PGA Cup player Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) and Alan Lockhart (Ladybank), joint fourth in last year’s championship at Gullane behind Gareth Wright (West Linton), who is not defending the title, were already in the field of over 100.
Matheson (£15,118) is eighth, McKechnie (£15,079) ninth, Lockhart (£9,832) 17th and Lornie (£7,079) 20th on the PGA Scottish Region money list for 2010.
Other pros chasing the £1,000 first prize include Alan E Reid (West Lothian), Graeme Brown (Montrose Links), Terry Mathieson (Dunbar), Ross Harrower (Boat of Garten), Paul Jamieson (Dunblane New), Lee Sutherland (Ballumbie Castle), Ian Bratton (Newburgh), Paul Brookes (Pitreavie), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) and Stephen Lamb (Broomieknowe).
For the first time in Scottish Alliance championship history, there are two female entries, Scotland amateur international Laura Murray (Alford) and Aberdeenshire county champion Sammy Leslie (Westhill).
The leading amateur trophy is likely to be contested by recent Northern Open runner-up Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen), who plays off +3, and Scotland cap Kris Nicol, a +4 member at Fraserburgh.