PAUL LAWRIE'S BROTHER SHARES NE ALLIANCE HANDICAP PRIZE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Paul Lawrie’s older brother Steve, who plays off a handicap of six at Portlethen Golf Club, figured in a four-way tie for the Class 1 handicap top prize with a net 62 over Inverallochy's par-63 winter course in today's North-east Alliance competition.
"I played well but I bogeyed the last two holes into the wind or else I could have had a really good score," said Steve whose son Sean - Paul's nephew - a one-handicapper, also at Portlethen, had a scratch 69.
David Fleming (Portlethen), John Hamilton (Murcar Links) and John Borthwick (Craibstone) tied with Steve Lawrie at the head of the Class 1 returns with net 62s. David plays off five, John Hamilton and John Borthwick both play off six.
Skibo Castle’s Carnegie links close during the winter so staff professional Joel Hopwood keeps his competitive eye in by making the trip to play in the weekly Alliance competitions.
Hopwood covered Inverallochy's shortened inward nine in his lowest ever half of 28 strokes to figure in a three-way tie for first place on 63 with amateurs John Duff (Newmachar) and Deeside’s Andrew Campbell.
Amazing that in an inward half that low included a bogey 5 at the 14th where Jole missed the green right and couldn't get up and down He also missed from a foot for a birdie at the 10th before his round took off with a three-iron on to the par-4 green at the 11th which he two-putted for his first birdie of the day having three-ptted the seventh and ninth for bogeys and also dropped a shot at the eighth where he missed the green left.
Hopwood holed a six-footer for a birdie 2 at the 13th after a 170yd sand wedge tee shot.
He drove the green at both the 15th and 16th to set up two-putt birdies.
One-handicapper Campbell had halves of 33 and 30 while Duff, who plays off +2, was out in 31 and home in 32. Duff's 31 was the joint best outward half of the day. The other 31 was returned by Inchmarlo staff pro Ryan Fitzpatrick but he took 38 shots to get home for a 69.
A field of 87 took part.
The lowest net score of the day was a 57 by Steve Kennedy, who plays off 11 at Craibstone.
LEADING SCRATCH
Par 63
63 J Hopwood (Carnegie Club) 35-28, J Duff (Newmachar) 31-32, A Campbell (Deeside) 33-30.
64 G Munro (Fraserburgh)33-31.
66 B Nicolson (Auchmill).
67 R Lamb (Newmachar) 34-33, C Law (Kings Links) 34-33, D A Fleming (Portlethen) 36-31.
68 S Scott (Auchmill) 36-32, J M Hamilton (Murcar Links), S Kennedy (Craibstone), J Borthwick (Craibstone), S Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 35-33, Steve Lawrie (Portlethen), S Finnie (Caledonian).
69 C Nelson (Mackenzie Club) 37-32, R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) 31-38, F Bisset (Banchory), Sean Lawrie (Portlethen).
70 P Morrison (Oldmeldrum) 39-31, J Nicolson (Auchmill).
71 C Carnegie (Kemnay) 35-36, C Buchanan (Newmachar) 38-33, I Bratton (Newburgh) 36-35, P McIntosh (Newburgh), D Brown (Kemnay).
72 A Graham (Aboyne), D Wilson (Duff House Royal).
73 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), M Merchant (Newmachar), G Leslie (Newburgh), A J Smith (Turriff).
74 G Geddes (Auchmill), L Prouse (Hazlehead), N Stewart (Northern), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), J Murray (Banchory), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum).
75 B Harper (Newburgh), I Strachan (Royal Aberdeen ). M Lawrie (Kemnay), N K Parker (Murcar Links).
76 M Rendall (Stonehaven), D Bisset (Banchory), M Booth (Kemnay), W Skene (Deeside).
77 D Leslie (Westhill), J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum).
78 J Roberts (Cruden Bay), D Philip (Newburgh), C Duffus (Kemnay).
79 J Mackintosh (Auchmill), S Elrick (Kemnay), J Duncan (Newburgh), D McKay (Caledonian).
80 J Forrest (Northern), G Homer (Northern), D Lawrie (Inchmarlo), P Cornfield (Auchmill)
81 M F R Rogers (Kemnay), R Orr (Kemnay), D Bingham (Newburgh).
82 J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), M Brown (Inverurie), D Wood (Newburgh), B Lumsden (Northern), J Lumsden (Auchmill).
83 D Randall (Banchory).
84 I Mundie (Kemnay), J McPherson (Auchmill).
85 J Gall (Caledonian).
88 I Grant (Insch).
89 B Lumsden (Northern) jun.
96 C Farquhar (Northern).
HANDICAP
Class 1 - Steve Lawrie (Portlethen) (6), D A Fleming (Portlethen) (5), J M Hamilton (Murcar Links) (6), J Borthwick (Craibstone) (6) 62; C Buchanan (Newmachar) (8), R Lamb (Newmachar) (4) 63; P Morrison (Oldmeldrum) (6), S Scott (Auchmill) (4) 64.
Class 2 - S Kennedy (Craibstone) (11) 57; N Stewart (Northern) (13), A Graham (Aboyne) (11) 61; G Leslie (Newburgh) (11) 62; J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) (14), M Rendall (Banchory) (13), I Strachan (Royal Aberdeen) (12) 63.


LEADING SCORECARDS
UNOFFICIAL PAR FOR INVERALLOCHY WINTER COURSE - 63.
OUT: 3-3-4-4-3-4-4-4-3--32. IN: 3-4-3-3-4-4-4-3-3--31

JOEL HOPWOOD 63
OUT: 3-3-4-4-3-5-4-5-4--35. IN: 3-3-3-2-5-3-3-3-3--28
ANDREW CAMPBELL 63
OUT: 4-2-4-4-3-5-4-4-3--33. IN: 2-3-4-3-4-4-3-4-3--30
JOHN DUFF 63
OUT: 4-3-4-3-3-3-4-3-4--31. IN: 3-3-3-3-5-4-3-4-4--32
GORDON MUNRO 64
OUT: 4-3-4-4-3-3-5-4-3--33. IN: 3-3-3-3-4-4-4-4-3--31

Young Jamie disqualifies himself after
 scorecard check at home

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
In the current climate of allegations of cheating and disqualifications in pro golf at European level, it is nice to report that honesty is alive and well on the homespun NE Alliance circuit.
Jamie Reid, a teenager who has two of a handicap at Cruden Bay, was up among the leaders with an apparent gross 64 and net 62 when he left the course, his card adding up correctly and being signed and countersigned appropriately.
But on the journey home to Peterhead, a thought kept nagging away at young Jamie. Adding up his figures again in his head, he kept coming to a total of 65, not 64.
So he and his dad sat down and went through the holes again. It was then that Jamie's worst fears were confirmed. He had signed for a 4 at the 11th when he actually took a 5.
Nothing for it but to phone the Inverallochy clubhouse and tell the Alliance organisers of his error which, of course, meant immediate disqualification, having signed for a figure lower than he actually took.
"Jamie wouldn't have wanted to win anything he was not entitled to," his father told me over the phone.
Well done, Jamie!