McKENNA BEATS ROBERTSON IN SUTHERLAND CHALICE PLAY-OFF

JAMES WHITE SQUANDERS FOUR
SHOT LEAD OVER
FINAL ROUND

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Dunbartonshire golfer Fraser McKenna (Balmore) beat Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off to win this weekend's SGU Order of Merit 72-holer, the Scottish Fuels Sutherland Chalice at Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club.
They had tied at the top of the leaderboard on eight-under-par 272 over the par-70 course after the long-time leader, James White (Lundin), recent winner of the Tennant Cup and the 2006 Scottish boys match-play champion, had surprisingly lost his touch and a four-shot lead with a last-round 75 for 275, which saw him finish fourth behind McKenna and Robertson, and the third-placed Paul Shields (Kirkhill).
Robertson has been one of the most consistent performers in this season's SGU Order of Merit events and he was certainly due a win after a string of top three finishes but once again he found one man too good for him at the death.
Robertson had been runner-up at the Tennant Cup and third in both the East of Scotland Championship and Cameron Corbett Vass.
This time it was Fraser McKenna, beaten finalist in the 2008 British boys' championship, who had shared second place with Robertson four shots behind leader White with one round to go. They both enjoyed a seven-shot turnaround with the leader over the last 18 holes, finishing with 68 apiece to the Fifer's 75.
McKenna, who spent a spell on the US college golf circuit as a student at Louisiana University and was top Scot in sixth place at this year's Lytham Trophy, prevailed at the second hole of a sudden death play-off which would not have been necessary had he not carelessly incurred a penalty on one of the greens during a third-round 68 when he accidentally moved his ball after he picked up his marker.
It was McKenna's first SGU Order of Merit tournament success.
Shields finished with a 68 for 273, only one shot behind the play-off participants.
Alexander Culverwell would have won the tournament had it been restricted to Sunday's two rounds. He had a pair of 66s for a Sunday aggregate of 132, compared with a Saturday two-round total of 144. He finished fifth on 276.
The low rounds of the tournament were achieved in Saturday's first round at the end of which the lead on six-under-par 64 was shared by Adam Dunton, all the way down to Dumfries from Ellon in Aberdeenshire, and Glasgow's Steven Maxwell (Windyhill).
 They were headed by James White over the second round as he had a pair of 67s to lead by one shot at the halfway stage - a lead stretched to four shots with a third-round 66 ... before the wheels, smooth running until then, came off.
Dunton finished a creditable seventh on 279, despite a last-round 74 which was 10 shots worse than his opening effort.
Scott Crichton (Aberdour) and Philip McLean (Peterhead), 1-2 in last weekend's Cameron Corbett Vase at Haggs Castle after a play-off, never threatened a repeat at Dumfries and Galloway.
McLean, in fact, only made the halfway cut bang on the limit mark of 147 with rounds of 75 and 72. His Sunday total of 135 (67-68), a bit like Culverwell, was 12 shots better than his Saturday aggregate.
Philip finished 10th on 282. Crichton finished joint 13th on 285 with his last round of 69 being his best of the four.

+Picture of Dumfries and Galloway G C captain Michael Garnett presenting the Sutherland Chalice to Fraser McKenna, by courtesy of the host club.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) CSS 71 71 71 72
272 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 69 67 68 68, Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 67 68 69 68 (McKenna won play-off at second extra hole).
273 Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 71 65 69 68.
275 James White (Lundin ) 67 67 66 75.
276 Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) 72 72 66 66.
278 Kyle McLung (Wigtownshire Co) 67 70 73 68.
279 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon)) 64 72 69 74.
281 Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 68 70 74 69, Brian Soutar (Leven G S) 68 70 74 69.
282 Phillip McLean (Peterhead) 75 72 67 68.
283 Mathew Clark (Kilmalcolm) 72 69 73 69, Steven Maxwell (Windyhill) 64 74 72 73.
285 Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 74 72 71 68, Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 74 71 71 69, Rory Thompson (Dumfries and Galloway) 73 73 68 71, Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 73 72 68 72.
286 Scott Brown (Turnberry) 69 71 73 73, Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 67 75 71 73.
287 Craig Deerness (Harburn) 74 64 70 79.
288 Sean McGarvey (Glencourse) 65 75 77 71, Mark Bookless (Sandyhills) 69 69 72 78.
289 Horacio Leon (Chile) 73 70 73 73, Andrew Weir (Montrose Mercantile) 71 74 71 73, Liam Johnston (Dumfries and Co) 68 75 70 76, Conor O'Neil (Pollok) 69 73 70 77.
290 Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) 72 70 70 78, Clark Riddick (Southerness) 72 71 68 79.
292 Graeme McDougall (Bishopbriggs) 73 73 73 73, Sebastian Backlund (Sweden) 70 77 71 74.
293 Stephen Neilson (Dunbar) 76 71 74 72.
294 Stephen Cairns (Southerness) 72 73 72 77.
295 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 76 71 75 73.
296 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 73 74 75 74, Graham Robertson (Silverknowes) 78 68 74 76, Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) 73 74 73 76.
298 Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 70 73 81 74.
299 Ben Renfrew (The Wynyard) 71 74 81 73.
300 Keith Shanks (Briar Ridge) 79 66 75 80.
301 Andrew Wallace (Glenbervie) 74 73 75 79.
No show: Michael Daily (Erskine) 72 73.

SCROLL DOWN TO SATURDAY'S REPORTS TO FIND OUT THE SCORES OF THOSE WHO MISSED THE HALFWAY CUT.