GEORGE RUTHERFORD TURNS THE CLOCK BACK AT BRORA

James Braid tournament winners. Left to right – Neil Cameron (Kidd Cup), George Rutherford (Royal Marine Hotel Trophy), Shaun Ashe (Braid Trophy) Richard Perry (St. Andrews New GC), Malcolm Campbell (Captain James Braid Society), Ken Lorimer (Captain Brora GC) Chris Mailley (Howey Trophy). Picture by Robin Wilson

By ROBIN WILSON
Brora's Howey Cup almost went back to its first winner of fifty years ago, George Rutherford (Blairgowrie) when the now 68-year-old fired an almost flawless card of 17 pars and just one bogey in the second round of the James Braid Open at Brora last weekend.

But the regular visitor to Brora had the consolation of winning the sponsor's Royal Marine Hotel Trophy as overall best net scorer with a 131 total from his now six handicap.

Leaving school at age 18, George Rutherford spent his teenage summer days on Aberdeen golf courses. His father Gordon Rutherford, a native of Helmsdale, had become a schoolmaster in Aberdeen. Before heading to the family home in Helmsdale for the August holidays of 1961, young George won the Aberdeen Summer Medal at Balnagask with a score of 68 .
On arrival in Sutherland he made his first mark with a third place in the Golspie tournament before his next outing at Brora where he became the first scratch winner of the Howey Cup.
Previously this Brora trophy had been awarded to the local member with the best net aggregate. Rutherford became the youngest winner of the cup with rounds of 73 and 72. His father was also a competent golfer and when his son was winning at Brora in 1961, he finished in fourth place.
Now residing in Perth, George Rutherford continues to be a well kent and popular face at Brora tournaments and is now also a Brora member in addition to his home club Blairgowrie.
Rutherford's first round 73, net 67 last Saturday sent him out in the second round chasing the leading net total of 135, achieved by local Neil Cameron (6) with Rutherford's aim more on a good second round net score than a challenge for the scratch.
Cameron, a former greenkeeper apprentice at Brora and now employed at next week's Barclay's Scottish Open venue, Castle Stuart, had his sights on a good scratch finish after his first round 75 when, in round two, he stormed to the turn in 31 with birdies at the first, second, sixth and eighth holes.
He remained four under par until running into bunker trouble at the short 13th hole and coming away with a triple bogey 6. Another 6 followed and with a two bogey ending holes to his round he signed off with gross 72, net 66 , but leading the net returns on 135 before overtaken by 68 year old Rutherford's amazing second round gross 70, net 64 for 131.
Royal Dornoch's Chris Mailley retained the Howey Cup, following up his first round three under par 66 with a second round 73 to squeeze home by a shot from local head greenkeeper James MacBeath.
Paired together their second round became an almost match-play shoot out with MacBeath making up four of Mailley's first round lead after 17 holes But the Dornoch visitor was able to match the local's par three on the final hole to scrape home by one. Rutherford's renaissance second round of 70 pulled him up into a remarkable third scratch place.
The winner of the Braid Trophy, confined to James Braid Society members, was the club vice-captain, Shaun Ashe on a better second round net score from Braid member Richard Perry (St Andrews New). Ashe and the the other winners were presented with their prizes by the captain of the James Braid Society, Malcolm Campbell.
RESULTS
Scratch
(CSS home 69/69) Away
Howey Cup
139 C Mailley (Royal Dornoch) 66 73
140 J G MacBeath 71 69
143 G M Rutherford (Blairgowrie) 73 70
144 C Nelson (The Nairn) 71 73, R G Mackay (Fortrose) 75 69
145 I S Powell (Murcar Links) 73 72, D Holden (RDGC) 71 74
146 D Joel (Inverness) 77 69, D W R Chalmers (Panmure) 73 73.


Handicap (Kidd Cup)
135 N Cameron (Brora) (6) 69 66
136 R Sutherland (Brora) (9) 66 70
137 D Holden (RDGC) (4) 67 70
139 B Nicholson (RDGC) (4) 72 67
140 D Joel (Inverness) (4) 74 66


Overall net; Royal Marine Hotel Trophy - G Rutherford (Blairgowrie)(6) 131 (67 64).
Braid Trophy - S Ashe (Brora) (13) 147 (79 68).

Mixed Foursomes Tournament prizewinners (left to right): George Sutherland, Angela Sutherland, Sheila Lorimer, Ken Lorimer, Ann Roberson (Lady Captain), Angela Grant, Dawn Powell, Gail Sutherland (Assistant Manager, Royal Marine Hotel), Morag Sutherland and Lesley Beaney. Behind, Liam MacDonald-MacLeod and Michael Maclean. Picture by Robin Wilson.

The Braid weekend at Brora continued on Sunday when in a repeat of their 2007 success mother and son Dawn and Ian Powell won the mixed foursomes competition, heading the entry of forty couples with a nett card of 67.
The family partnership, Dawn a local member and her son, a member at Aberdeen's Murcar Links Golf Club and former winner of the Clynelish Salver and Howey Cup, also had the best scratch score of 76 in a rainy morning but when the weather cleared to give excellent playing conditions only two other couples got below 80.
With a better last nine holes in their 78, father and daughter Dougall and Jemma Chalmers (Panmure), also the scratch winners in 2007, won the scratch Links Trophy for a second time. They relegated locals Angela Grant and Liam MacDonald-MacLeod to second place. With a gross 82 local members George and Morag Sutherland were third scratch.
Runners up to the Powells in the handicap section were another all local pair, Rikki Mackay and Angela Sutherland.

RESULTS
Scratch
J Chalmers and D Chalmers (Panmure) 78 (bih), A Grant and L MacDonald-MacLeod (Brora) 78. M L Sutherland and G F Sutherland (Brora) 78
Handicap
D Powell (Brora) and I S Powell (Murcar Links) (9) 67; A Sutherland and R Mackay (Brora) (19½) 68½; S and K Lorimer (Brora) (20½) 70½; B and B Maitland (Fraserburgh) (19) 72; L Beaney and M MacLean (Brora) (10) 73.

Tain Club Championship


Two non-resident members, Ross Jack (Alness) and Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn), hold the first two seeded places in this week's J and I Carpets Tain Club Championship.

Jack, the silver medallist in the recent Ross-shire County Championship, led the way into last Monday night's first round draw with a qualifying score of 142.
Fotheringham is second seed on 148 by virtue of his better second round in the same total with the top local qualifier Munro Ferries. Fourth seed was Kevin Smith on 150.
The first of the the scratch-play rounds was played on Monday without the holder Alan Everett who could not defend his title due to a return to work in Aberdeen.
The results were:
 R Jack bt E Morrison; J Dundas lost to B Mackenzie; B Ferries lost to I Cowper; G Bell bt K Smith; M Ferries bt C Ilett; D Custerson lost to N Dobie; J Innes bt G MacKintosh; M Ross lost to F Fotheringham.
Shock of the first round was the defeat of the number five seed, Billy Ferries. Ferries was on a high after recording an albatross two at the long 13th hole in Saturday's qualifying round holing out with a three iron. But he was at the receiving end of an albatross at the same hole in his match against Ian Cowper when Cowper holed out in two with a three wood!.