BARRIE EDMOND BREAKS KEITH HIRD'S ABERDEEN LINKS RECORD

By DAVIE GRIEVE
Aberdeen Links championships secretary
Holder Barrie Edmond (Bon Accord) blew away the rest of the field at a tricky Kings Links today to beat Keith Hird's long-standing Royal Aberdeen Medal record score as the leading qualifier for the match-play stages of the Aberdeen Links championship.
Hird's two-round total of 133 had stood since the1990s but Edmond added a 68 to his opening round 64 to set a new mark at 132 (eight under the CSS and 10 under par).
Edmond, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, will now meet Bon Accord clubmate Willie Smith in Monday's opening tie.
Edmond earned the top seed spot among the 32 qualifiers by nine shots from the second and third best qualifiers, Ross Young (Bon Accord) (73-68) and former winner Alex Cruickshank (Caledonian) (72-69), both on 141.
Amazingly Barrie's net total of 135 was good enough to win the prize for best net scores in qualifying and his opening 64 also won him the Neville Smith Cup.
Elswhere, a host of familiar names including former champions Ronnie Evett, Alex Cruickshank, Stewart Finnie, Scott Davidson and Gordon Grimmer all move on to the match-play stages.

MONDAY'S TEE TIMES
5.00 B Edmond (BA) v W Smith (BA)
5.06 A Styles (C) v D Mullen (C)
5.12 N Mitchell (BA) v M Beattie (C)
5.18 K Dalglish (BA) v R Pirie (C)
5.24 M Greig (BA v J Annand (BA)
5.30 I Welsh (BA) v R Neilson (BA)
5.36 B Reid (C) v C Dunbar (C)
5.42 A Fiddes (N) v S Manson (N)
5.48 R Young (BA) v P McIntosh (C)
5.54 M Smith (BA) v R Evett (N)
6.00 S Allan (C) v S Slessor (N)
6.06 L Morrice (C) v W West (N)
6.12 A Cruickshank (C) v M Edmond (BA)
6.18 R Allerton (BA) v S Muir (N)
6.24 S Finnie (C) v S Davidson (N)
6.30 G Grimmer (C) v S A Smith (C)


LINKS HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP
Thursday 9th June
5.00 G Nicholson (N) v D Galloway (N)
5.06 A Phillip (C) v D Grieve (BA)
5.12 T McGovern (C) v D Mair (N)
5.18 G Morrison (N) v S J Laing (C)
5.24 W Shand (BA) v G Bond (N)
5.30 J Forrest (N) v G McLaggan (BA)
5.36 A Haining (BA) v J Inglis (N)
5.42 A J Sherriffs (N) v S Murphy (BA)