PHILIP McLEAN THREE OUT OF THREE HOME ALLIANCE WINS

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
SGU Elite Squad player Philip McLean maintained his aura of invincibility over his home course when he won the North-east Golfers’ Alliance competition over his home Peterhead links today with a four-under-par round of 66.
“There’s only one event at Peterhead during the Alliance season and that makes three years in a row, I’ve won it,” said McLean (pictured) who will be off shortly to spend eight weeks in South Africa, courtesy of the Scottish Golf Union.
On a cool but pleasant day by Peterhead standards, McLean headed a field of 83 with a bag of five birdies – at the second, third, fourth, eighth and 17th in halves of 32 (three under par) and 34 (one under).
“I played well on the outward half after holing putts of 15 and 12ft for birdies at the second and third and I knocked my approach in to about 4ft at the fourth to make it a hat-trick of birdies,” said Philip.
“I set up some birdie chances after the turn but I only took one, a 6ft putt, at the 17th.” He had only one bogey at the sixth where he missed the green.
McLean won by two shots from fellow Elite Squad player Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh), who also has a handicap of +3, and Auchmill one-handicapper Brian Nicolson.
Nicol had the best outward half of the day – four-under-par 31 – and he was on course for a 65 until he bogeyed the 15th and double-bogeyed the 17th where he lost a ball in an inward 37.
Nicolson was the only player to get an eagle 3 at the par-5 eighth and he turned in 32 but he went off the boil on the homeward journey with eight pars and a bogey at the 13th.
Having highlighted fellow golf writer Fergus Bisset's 92 at Newburgh last week, I feel I have to record that the Banchory two-handicapper improved by NINETEEN shots this week with a 73. Well done, Fergus!
+CORRECTION: In last week's NE Alliance report, it was stated that Ian Bratton had won the first prize of £100. In fact, Ian won the first prize of £75. When the field is less than 80 strong, as was the case at Newburgh last week, the cash (to pros) and voucher prizes (to amateurs) are reduced accordingly. From the sum of competitors' weekly entry fees of £10 per head, the host club has to be paid an agreed sum per competitor, less professionals and local club members.


LEADING SCRATCH
Par 70. Yardage 6,147
66 Philip McLean (Peterhead) 32-34.
68 Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) 31-37, Brian Nicolson (Auchmill) 32-36.
69 Ian Bratton (Newburgh) p 34-35.
70 Jamie Reid (Cruden Bay) 34-36.
72 Robert O’Donnell (Oldmeldrum).
73 Colin Nelson (MacKenzie Club) p, Fergus Bisset (Banchory), Sandy Elrick (Kemnay), Stewart Finnie (Caledonian).
74 Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) p, David Brown (Kemnay) p.
75 Andrew Campbell (Deeside), Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen).
76 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead), Mike Booth (Kemnay).
77 Paul McIntosh (Newburgh), Willie Skene (Deeside), Joel Hopwood (Skibo Castle) ap, John Roberts (Cruden Bay), Scott Mackie (Kemnay), Sean Lawrie (Portlethen).
78 Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay), George Paterson (Northern), Keil Beveridge (Aboyne) p, Bill Shaw (Banchory), Steven Chalmers (Banchory) ap, Chris Brindley (Banchory), John Nicolson (Auchmill), Robert Lamb (Newmachar), Davie Wilson (Duff House Royal).
79 Steve Scott (Auchmill), David A Fleming (Portlethen), Alister B Clark (Newmachar).
81 Craig Carnegie (Kemnay), Martin Forster (Cruden Bay), Alastair Graham (Aboyne), Jackie Forrest (Northern), Jim Murray (Banchory), Alister Petrie (Oldmeldrum), Manson Merchant (Newmachar), Steve Lawrie (Portlethen).
82 Lawrence Prouse (Hazlehead), John Borthwick (Craibstone), Gary Homer (Lumphanan).
83 Brian Harper ( Newburgh ), John Dalgarno (Hazlehead), David Mackay (Newmachar), David Philip (Newburgh).
84 Gary Geddes (Auchmill), David Bisset (Banchory).
85 Derek Randall (Banchory), John Jessiman (Oldmeldrum).
86 Mike Brown (Inverurie), Norman Stewart (Northern), Nigerl Parker (Murcar Links), Jim Gall (Caledonian).
87 Benny Lumsden (Northern).
88 Mike Randall (Stonehaven), Graham Allan (Newmachar), Raymond Brown (Inverurie).
89 Colin Ord (Auchmill), Paul Cornfield (Auchmill).

HANDICAP
Class 1 – S Elrick (Kemnay) (7) 66; B Nicolson (Auchmill) (1) 67; W Skene (Deeside) (9), J Reid ( Cruden Bay ) (2) 68; R O’Donnell (Oldmeldrum) (3), P McLean (Peterhead) (+3) 69; L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen ) (5) 70.
Class 2 – M Booth (Kemnay) (11) 65; C Brindley (Banchory) (12) 66; M Brown (Inverurie) (10), A B Clark (Newmachar) (10) 69; A Graham (Aboyne) (11) 70; G Homer (Lumphanan) (11), J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) (14), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (10), J Gall (Caledonian) (15) 71.

+If any member's name is mispelled above or the initial(s) are wrong, or their home club is wrongly stated, they are asked to E-mail Colin Farquharson at Colin@scottishgolfview.com so that corrections can be made to the NE Alliance data base.

PETERHEAD PAR SCORECARD - OUT: 4-3-4-4-4-3-4-5-4--35.
                                                  IN: 3-4-4-4-4-4-3-4-5--35
PHILIP McLEAN 66 (-4)
OUT: 4-2-3-3-4-3-5-4-4--32. IN: 3-4-4-4-4-4-3-3-5--34

KRIS NICOL 68 (-2)
OUT: 5-3-3-3-3-3-4-4-3--31. IN: 3-4-4-3-4-5-3-6-5--37.

BRIAN NICOLSON 68 (-2)
OUT: 3-2-4-4-5-3-4-3-4--32. IN: 3-4-4-5-4-4-3-4-5--36.
 
IAN BRATTON 69 (-1)
OUT: 3-3-4-5-3-3-5-4-4--34. IN: 3-4-4-4-4-4-3-3-6--35

+We'll have the collated tee times later this evening for next Wednesday's competition at Buckpool - where Paul Lawrie had a 10 at one hole and still won the NE Alliance meeting there in 1999, later to be crowned Open champion at Carnoustie