JAMES STEVEN, ONLY 17, WINS LANARKSHIRE MEN'S COUNTY TITLE

James Steven, aged 17 and a Bothwell Castle GC member, today became one of the youngest winners of the Lanarkshire county championship over 36 holes at Airdrie Golf Club.
James, who gets coaching from the SGU and plays on the SGU Junior Tour, had excellent scores of 67 and 68 for a three-under-par aggregate of 135.
This will give him confidence for his twin assault on the Scottish boys' stroke-play championship and the Scottish men's amateur championship in the next three weeks at Nairn Dunbar and Western Gailes respectively.
Runner-up was James Whitelaw (Hollandbush) with an aggregate of 137 (67-70). He was left to rue a lost ball at 17 when two pars to finish would have forced a play-off.
The top 16 players available will play the Lanarkshire match-play championship at Airdrie over four nights - Thursday-Friday, July 14-15, and Thursday-Friday, July 21-22.
Unfortunately, James Steven can’t play in the county match-play event because of Scottish commitments.

FINAL TOTALS 
CSS: morning 69, afternoon 71
135 James Steven (Bothwell Castle) 67 68.
137 James Whitelaw (Hollandbush) 67 70.
142 Gordon Taylor (Airdrie) 71 71 (bih), David Lee Crow Wood 71 71, Stewart Henderson (Hamilton) 70 72.
143 Kevin Loughrie (Cambuslang) 73 70 143
145 Gordon Dalzell (Airdrie) 74 71, Andrew Steven (Easter Moffat) 73 72, Robbie Main (Airdrie) 73 72, Andy Fairbairn (Kirkhill) 71 74.
146 Craig Longmuir (Bellshill) 70 76, Mark Lutton (Bellshill) 70 76.
147 John McHendry (Lochview) 71 76.
148 Jamie Lamb (Lanark) 74 74.
149 David Ford (Airdrie) 76 73, J J Smith (Cambuslang) 76 73, Stuart Houston (Kirkhill) 73 76, John Ralston Shotts 74 75.
150 Mark O’Donnell (Hamilton) 76 74, Ryan Corrigan (Airdrie) 75 75.
152 Len Grindrod (Crow Wood) 76 76, Gordon Gillick (Drumpellier) 76 76.
Match-play draw
J Whitelaw v L Grindrod
J McHendry v J Lamb
A Steven v S Houston
R Main v J Ralston
D Lee v R Corrigan
C Longmuir v D Ford
G Dalzell v M O’Donnell
G Gillick v J J Smith

Willie Sharpe
President
Lanarkshire Golf Association

+Picture shows James Steven and Airdrie club captain John Main.