NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR ALLIANCE WINNER IAN BRATTON

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Newburgh Golf Club professional Ian Bratton cashed in on his local knowledge to head a star-studded field on a bitterly cold day for the resumption of the North-east Golfers’ Alliance season over his home course today.
Bratton, pictured, lifted the £100 prize with a par-matching 72 from a field of 77 that included Walker Cup candidates James Byrne (Banchory), Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) and Philip McLean (Peterhead) and a GB and I team player of 1967 vintage, Hazlehead's Sandy Pirie.

Although the sun shone, the temperature barely rose about one degree all day and that, coupled with the fact that quite a few of the field had not had a golf club in their hands since the last Alliance competition on November 17 before the bad weather closed in, helped to explain a total of 17 No Returns.

Starting at the 10th, Bratton birdied the 12th and 15th before he dropped is first shot of the day at the 18th, turning in one-under-par 35. He then had a bit of a wobble with three bogeys in a row from the first to the third before finishing strongly with birdies at the seventh and the ninth for one-over-par 37 and a 72.

Bratton won by a shot from joint runners-up Byrne and McLean with Inverurie’s scratch man, Greig Ingram, on 74, the only other player to get under the 77 mark.

Arizona State University student Byrne, accustomed to temperatures in the 80s and even 90s for most of the year, had six 3s on his outward half of par-equalling 36, birdieing the first, fourth, sixth and seventh but running up a double bogey 7 at the third and also dropping shots at the eighth and ninth.

Two more birdies, at the 10th and 15th, nullified a bogey at the 11th and Byrne stood on the 17th tee needing to finish with two pars for a 71 to beat clubhouse leader Bratton by a shot. Instead, the Banchory man, who has a handicap of +6, had a double-bogey 6 at the 17th and a par at the 18th for 37 home and a 73.
Did James enjoy his holiday round? "Not really!" he was honest enough to answer, possibly through chattering teeth.McLean’s eagle 2 at the 382yd seventh and a birdie at the third almost made up for bogeys at the second, fourth, eighth and ninth in an outward, one-over 37 but, after further bogeys at the 12th and 17th, offset by a birdie at the 15th, the Peterhead man had to hole a 30ft putt at the last for a birdie 4 to join Byrne in a share of second place.

Kris Nicol, partnering Byrne and McLean at the end of the field, finished with a disappointing 77 (41-36) which included a double bogey 6 at the seventh and a quadruple bogey 8 at the eighth. He also had a double bogey 6 at the 10th. Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club.
Just harking back to the 17 No Returns for a moment, Golf Monthly writer Fergus Bisset (Banchory) could so easily have been No 18 in this department. But give him a big hand for toiling on to the end to return a 92 - and Fergus is a two-handicap player.
"That's the worst I've played for many years. I lost six balls in all," he said.
There was another player, who shall remain nameless, who ran up a 13 at the 12th hole.
Newburgh is a short course by modern standards - "only" 6,423yd off the back tees and the host club did the Alliance the honour of allowing them to play off the very back tees and on the "proper" greens. OK, so balls had to be played off mats and most golfers hate doing that but it's a small price to pay for otherwise getting the "real" course to play in the depths of winter.
It's the whins that line the fairways at most holes that are so penal. You don't need to hit a ball very far off line to lose it. Just ask Fergus Bisset!
The leading senior was the former Scottish seniors' match-play champion, George Paterson (Northern), with a 79, two shots ahead of John Hamilton (Murcar Links) and three in front of Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen and Mike Jenkins (Duff House Royal.


LEADING SCRATCH

Par 72

72 Ian Bratton (Newburgh) p. 

73 James Byrne (Banchory), Philip McLean (Peterhead).

74 Greig Ingram (Inverurie).

77 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead), Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh).

78 Brian Harper (Newburgh), Steve Scott (Auchmill), Andrew Campbell (Deeside), Martin Forster (Cruden Bay).

79 George Paterson (Northern) s, Euan McIntosh (Newmachar) p, David Fleming (Auchmill), Gordon Munro (Banchory).

80 Craig Carnegie (Kemnay), David Leslie (Westhill), Sean Lawrie (Portlethen), John Nicolson (Auchmill).

81 Joel Hopwood (Skibo Castle) p, John Hamilton (Murcar Links) s.
82 Laurence Prouse (Hazlehead), Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), Mike Jenkins (Duff House Royal) s, Stewart Finnie (Caledonian), Brian Nicolson (Auchmill), Scott Mackie (Kemnay), David Philip (Newburgh).
83 Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay), Bill Shaw (Banchory).
84 Gary Geddes (Auchmill), John Borthwick (Craibstone).
87 Colin Ord (Auchmill).
88 Davie Wilson (Duff House Royal).
89 Michael Rogers (Kemnay) s, Sandy Elrick (Kemnay), Dave Nelson (Aboyne) s.
91 Mike Booth (Kemnay).
92 Jackie Forrest (Northern), Gary Homer (Lumphanan), Raymond Brown (Inverurie), Fergus Bisset (Banchory).
93 Mike Brown (Inverurie).
94 David Bingham (Newburgh), Derek Randall (Banchory).
96 Chris Brindley.
97 Jim Lumsden (Auchmill), J Gall.
98 Peter Cheyne (Meldrum House).
103 Benny Lumsden (Northern).
112 Benny Lumsden junior (Northern).

LEADING HANDICAP
Class 1 – M Forster (Cruden Bay) (6) 72; B Harper (Newburgh) (5) 73; S Scott (Auchmill) (4), D Fleming (Auchmill) (5) 74; A K Pirie (Hazlehead) (2), D Leslie (Westhill) (5), D Philip (Newburgh) (7) 75.
Class 2 – M F R Rogers (Kemnay) (15) 74; M Brown ((Inverurie) (18) 75; R Brown (Inverurie) (14) 78; M Booth (Kemnay) (11) 80; G Homer (Lumphanan (11) 81.

LEADING SCORECARDS
NEWBURGH GC PAR 72: OUT 4-3-5-4-3-4-4-4-5--36. IN: 4-4-4-4-4-4-3-4-5--36

IAN BRATTON 72
(Started at 10th but figures given in scorecard order)
OUT: 5-4-6-4-3-4-3-4-4--37. IN: 4-4-3-4-4-3-3-5-5--35.

PHILIP McLEAN 73
OUT: 4-4-4-5-3-4-2-5-6--37. IN: 4-4-5-4-3-4-3-5-4--36.
JAMES BYRNE 73
OUT: 3-3-7-3-3-3-3-5-6--36. IN: 3-5-4-4-4-3-3-6-5--37
GREIG INGRAM 74
OUT: 5-4-5-4-3-4-3-5-4--37. IN: 4-4-4-4-4-4-3-5-5--37

KRIS NICOL 77
OUT: 4-3-4-4-4-4-6-8-4--41. IN: 6-3-4-4-4-4-2-4-5--36


 Next Wednesday's NE Alliance competition is at Peterhead GC, weather permitting.