BRORA AND TAIN FOUR-DAY EVENTS
SUMMARY BY ROBIN WILSON
Brora Golf Club celebrated its fortieth Clynelish Salver 5-Day Tournament last week while running simultaneously across the Dornoch Bridge the Tain event was being played in the same week that 100 years ago they opened their second clubhouse after the formation of the club in 1890.
On arrival in his native Brora, Murcar Links member Ian Powell in his role as Manager of the Paul Lawrie Foundation brought with him a new trophy gifted by the Open Champion's Foundation for competition during the qualifying rounds for under-16 year olds. The event also included entries from Paul's two sons but although the younger Michael (13) who holds a handicap of six qualified for the scratch match-play and his elder brother Craig (16) missed out both were beaten for the new trophy by local junior Kyle Sutherland who with a handicap of eleven netted an aggregate of 135.
But Powell did return to Murcar Links for a second time with the Clynelish Salver after winning the final on the last green against local member George Duncan.
Rarely out of the last four in his last ten attempts and winning for the first time in 2002 Powell's past experience showed through in the final although the local member who is on the greens staff at Skibo Castle showed he has a game to win following his showing in only two entries over the past seventeen years.
A losing finalist when aged seventeen in 1994 to Wick's Roger Beames followed by a semi final spot on his last entry in 2005 Duncan received a big ovation when he arrived at the first tee to tackle the exiled Powell.
But there was to be no fairy tale win for the local. Powell always favourite and holding a one hole lead after nine holes, despite two outward half birdies from Duncan. The Murcar member earned a half at the 17th from a superb bunker save and still went to the final tee with his fragile one hole lead intact.
Both golfers over shot the final par three green, Duncan with the weaker return pitch to putt first and when his attempt at the three missed Powell was conceded his putt to win by two holes and worthy of his second salver success.
At only his second attempt local seven handicapper Robert MacDonald played the the first nine holes in two over par to take a stranglehold six hole lead in the McRobert Thistle Cup final over former cup winner, Ross Woodside (Brairgowrie). MacDonald was then able to become a spectator at the unfolding scratch final after polishing off Woodside on the twelfth green.
In his third year as a local youth member Struan Gunn (20) made the grade to win his first Clynelish Shield beating retired Brora police sergeant, Mike Cormack (Inverness). In a fascinating tie where each of the first six holes changed hands Gunn moved ahead with wins from par figures over the remaining three outward holes to turn for home with a commanding three hole lead. Cormack was unable to cut into his deficit and Gunn triumphed on the fourteenth green.
A third generation of the MacDonald golfing family who have strong ties to Loth, twelve year old Calum sees his future in football as a member of English Championship League side, Derby County's Youth Training Academy. Fortunately he has also inherited some of the family golf skills and will soon drop his twenty four handicap after winning the Class 3 section Auchroisk Cup beating French visiting teenager Bryan Dugois in the final..
At the fortieth anniversary prize giving Brora President Alister Risk delivered a short history of the past forty competitions acknowledging the very much appreciated support from the local Clynelish Distillery. Three golfers who have left their mark on the event were gifted ma bottle of the Sponsor's malt for contributing to the growing stature of the tournament, Brora multi winners, James MacBeath (7) and Jim Miller (6) and then Robin Wilson who as club captain in 1971 was instrumental in setting up the first tournament in 1972.
Clynelish Salver Results: (All Brora unless stated)
W J Henderson Medal and Leading Qualifiers – 143 DMB Brown (Prestwick) 71/72, E Polson 70/73. 144 I S Powell (Murcar Links) 72/72. 147 G Grant 73/74 149 G Duncan 77/72, D W R Chalmers (Panmure) 73/76, I Stewart 71/78. 151 L MacDonald-Macleod 73/78.152 M Lawrie (Deeside) 153 C Sim (Royal Mid Surrey) 78/75, L Blyth (Prestonfield) 78/75, C Stewart 78/75. 154 A Powell (Deeside) 76/78, D Bell 74/80, R Mackay (F&R) 73/81, A Stewart 72/82. Match play Round 1 – Brown beat A Stewart 5/4, Lawrie beat MacDonald-Macleod 2/1, A Powell beat G Grant 3/2, Duncan beat C Stewart 6/4, Blyth beat Chalmers 1 hole,I Powell beat Bell 6/5, Sim beat I Stewart 1 up, Polson beat Mackay 4/3. Round 2 – Brown beat Lawrie 4/3, Duncan beat A Powell 6/5, I Powell beat Blyth 6/5, Polson beat Sim at 20th. Semi finals Duncan beat Brown 3/2, I Powell beat Polson 5/4. Final I Powell beat Duncan 2 holes.
Class 1 McRobert Thistle Cup – Semi Finals; S Woodside (Blairgowrie) (7) beat A B Risk (6) 4/3. R N MacDonald (7) beat M Mackintosh (5) 3/2. Final MacDonald beat Woodside 7/5.
Class 2 Clynelish Shield – Semi Finals; S Gunn (10) beat N Thornton (Woodhall Hills) (9) 6/4. M Cormack (Inverness) (11) beat B A Glass (11) 4/2 Final; Gunn beat Cormack 5/4.
Class 3 Auchroist Cup - Semi Finals; C MacDonald (Notts) (24) beat D Norrie (13) 1 hole. B Dugois (Luberon) (17) beat J D Ross (20) 3/1 Final – MacDonald beat Dugois 1 hole.
Supplementary Clynelish Plate – Sam Woodside (Blairgowrie)
Paul Lawrie Foundation Jug . Kyle Sutherland (11) 69/66 135
First time win for new member at Tain.
It is a phrase I have often quoted and experienced myself as a beaten finalist, “you have to lose one to win one” writes Robin Wilson and it showed up once again in the scratch final at Tain last Thursday when Kilmacolm's Dave Pearson, beaten finalist two years ago, returned to the final and this time won the McVitie and Price Cup for the first time.
A new non local winner of the cup was assured when the Ferries brothers Billy and Munro lost in the semi finals to Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) and Pearson respectively. Pearson with local family connections had only joined the host club at the beginning of the week having moved house to Dornoch two weeks earlier but choosing Tain over Royal Dornoch for membership.
In his 2009 final appearance Pearson went down to Jimmy Russell (Murcar Links) and at his second attempt survived a quarter exit with a 19th hole win over Laurie Chancellor (Inverness) before then defeating the club captain and club champion, Munro Ferries to gain a return to the final.
Fotheringham who is now also a country member at Tain through his friendship with US college student, Sammy Vass, took his place in the match play draw as leading qualifier after rounds of 68 and 70 and made it through to the last four when he beat the 2009 winner, Russell, but when it came to the final he lost his way early and then again towards the end of it. The first hole to par, the second hole to a Pearson birdie.
The ex Scottish youth internationalist after losing the opening two holes recovered to level the tie by the ninth hole. From another birdie on the 10th hole Pearson kick started a surging run to the cup. The ex Kilmacolm member won the 13th and 14th holes with pa rand birdie figures to go three in front and when Fotheringham drove out of bounds from the 15th tee the tie was over and Pearson put behind him his defeat of two years earlier.
The line up in the ladies final for the Flower Shop London House Cup was a repeat of last month's Tain women's club championship final, Sammy Vass, the holder, again facing her aunt, Mary Smith. Scottish senior internationalist Smith reversed the club championship result with magical birdie two on the 16th green to win the four day event for the first time since it was introduced into Golf Week in 2009 when the first winner was her sister Anne Ryan.
Going through the handicap sections from four ahead after nine holes in the Stirling Cup final local Iain Cowper birdied the 13th hole to ease past club mate Graeme Ross by 4&3. Next up was a clash in the final of the Munro Rosebowl featuring two local lefties, Eric Morrison and Iain Cooper. Morrison lost in the final twelve months ago and just like Pearson he returned to put matters right with a strong inward half. Birdies on the 13th and 14th holes gave him a two hole lead and after finding the 16th green secured a 3&2 win.
Continuing the line of successes by Irish golfers, Harrington, McIlroy and Clarke, two former club mates at Armagh Golf Club, Northern Ireland and annual visitors to Tain met up in the final of the Brookes Cup. Gary Toal now lives in the West of Scotland and is a member of Ranfurly Castle but Denis Hughes still crosses the Irish Sea each year from County Armagh to take part and put one over his old club mate in the final with a rousing 5and 3 result after taking five holes in succession from the 11th.
The match play competitions closed with the final of the women's Mary Hayden Trophy and this prize made the even longer crossing -the English Channel, for a year's residence on the Mediterranean Coastal city of Marseilles. Rosemary Bonnin and her family from Golf Club Aix Marseilles use Brora as their August holiday residence and she and her sister made the shorter crossing of the Dornoch Bridge to play in Tain Rosemary Bonin met local Lorraine Mackay in the handicap final. It went to the 19th hole where Mackay over hit the green with her third shot and took three more to get down leaving her delighted French opponent with an easy two putt bogey five to win.
Four day Tournament Results (All Tain unless stated); Leading Qualifiers Men, Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) 138. Ladies, Sammy Vass (Tain) 150. Mens Match Play- McVitie and Price Cup – quarter finals – F Fotheringham beat J Russell (Murcar Links) 3/1, B Ferries beat J Innes 6&5, D Pearson beat L Chancellor (Inverness) at 19th. M Ferries beat D Kryzanowski (Strathpeffer Spa) 5&4. semi finals, Fotheringham beat B Ferries 1 hole. Pearson beat M Ferries 3&2. Final Pearson beat Fotheringham 4&3. Stirling Cup – Semi finals I Cowper (7) beat D Kellock (Cathcart Castle) (11) 2&1, G Ross (9) beat D Neville (10). 4&3. Final, Cowper beat Ross 4&3. Munro Rosebowl, Semi finals – E Morrison (6) beat J Lockhart (Bathgate) (8) 4&3. I Cowper beat T Brailsford (Dunblane (8) 4&3. Final, Morrison beat Cowper 3&2. Brookes Cup Semi finals – G Toal (Ranfurly Castle) (11) beat K Anderson (13) at 19th. D Hughes (Armagh) (13) beat R Farquhar (13) at 21st. Final – Hughes beat Toal 5&3.
Ladies Scratch – Semi finals - S Vass beat L Grieve (Musselburgh) 5&4, M Smith beat C Ross 1 hole. Final Smith beat Vass 3&2. Handicap Semi finals – R Bonin (Aix Marseilles) beat P Lockie (North Berwick) 5&4, L Mackay beat M Meechan (Bathgate) 6&5. Final Bonnin beat Mackay at 19th.
Brora Golf Club celebrated its fortieth Clynelish Salver 5-Day Tournament last week while running simultaneously across the Dornoch Bridge the Tain event was being played in the same week that 100 years ago they opened their second clubhouse after the formation of the club in 1890.
On arrival in his native Brora, Murcar Links member Ian Powell in his role as Manager of the Paul Lawrie Foundation brought with him a new trophy gifted by the Open Champion's Foundation for competition during the qualifying rounds for under-16 year olds. The event also included entries from Paul's two sons but although the younger Michael (13) who holds a handicap of six qualified for the scratch match-play and his elder brother Craig (16) missed out both were beaten for the new trophy by local junior Kyle Sutherland who with a handicap of eleven netted an aggregate of 135.
But Powell did return to Murcar Links for a second time with the Clynelish Salver after winning the final on the last green against local member George Duncan.
Rarely out of the last four in his last ten attempts and winning for the first time in 2002 Powell's past experience showed through in the final although the local member who is on the greens staff at Skibo Castle showed he has a game to win following his showing in only two entries over the past seventeen years.
A losing finalist when aged seventeen in 1994 to Wick's Roger Beames followed by a semi final spot on his last entry in 2005 Duncan received a big ovation when he arrived at the first tee to tackle the exiled Powell.
But there was to be no fairy tale win for the local. Powell always favourite and holding a one hole lead after nine holes, despite two outward half birdies from Duncan. The Murcar member earned a half at the 17th from a superb bunker save and still went to the final tee with his fragile one hole lead intact.
Both golfers over shot the final par three green, Duncan with the weaker return pitch to putt first and when his attempt at the three missed Powell was conceded his putt to win by two holes and worthy of his second salver success.
At only his second attempt local seven handicapper Robert MacDonald played the the first nine holes in two over par to take a stranglehold six hole lead in the McRobert Thistle Cup final over former cup winner, Ross Woodside (Brairgowrie). MacDonald was then able to become a spectator at the unfolding scratch final after polishing off Woodside on the twelfth green.
In his third year as a local youth member Struan Gunn (20) made the grade to win his first Clynelish Shield beating retired Brora police sergeant, Mike Cormack (Inverness). In a fascinating tie where each of the first six holes changed hands Gunn moved ahead with wins from par figures over the remaining three outward holes to turn for home with a commanding three hole lead. Cormack was unable to cut into his deficit and Gunn triumphed on the fourteenth green.
A third generation of the MacDonald golfing family who have strong ties to Loth, twelve year old Calum sees his future in football as a member of English Championship League side, Derby County's Youth Training Academy. Fortunately he has also inherited some of the family golf skills and will soon drop his twenty four handicap after winning the Class 3 section Auchroisk Cup beating French visiting teenager Bryan Dugois in the final..
At the fortieth anniversary prize giving Brora President Alister Risk delivered a short history of the past forty competitions acknowledging the very much appreciated support from the local Clynelish Distillery. Three golfers who have left their mark on the event were gifted ma bottle of the Sponsor's malt for contributing to the growing stature of the tournament, Brora multi winners, James MacBeath (7) and Jim Miller (6) and then Robin Wilson who as club captain in 1971 was instrumental in setting up the first tournament in 1972.
Clynelish Salver Results: (All Brora unless stated)
W J Henderson Medal and Leading Qualifiers – 143 DMB Brown (Prestwick) 71/72, E Polson 70/73. 144 I S Powell (Murcar Links) 72/72. 147 G Grant 73/74 149 G Duncan 77/72, D W R Chalmers (Panmure) 73/76, I Stewart 71/78. 151 L MacDonald-Macleod 73/78.152 M Lawrie (Deeside) 153 C Sim (Royal Mid Surrey) 78/75, L Blyth (Prestonfield) 78/75, C Stewart 78/75. 154 A Powell (Deeside) 76/78, D Bell 74/80, R Mackay (F&R) 73/81, A Stewart 72/82. Match play Round 1 – Brown beat A Stewart 5/4, Lawrie beat MacDonald-Macleod 2/1, A Powell beat G Grant 3/2, Duncan beat C Stewart 6/4, Blyth beat Chalmers 1 hole,I Powell beat Bell 6/5, Sim beat I Stewart 1 up, Polson beat Mackay 4/3. Round 2 – Brown beat Lawrie 4/3, Duncan beat A Powell 6/5, I Powell beat Blyth 6/5, Polson beat Sim at 20th. Semi finals Duncan beat Brown 3/2, I Powell beat Polson 5/4. Final I Powell beat Duncan 2 holes.
Class 1 McRobert Thistle Cup – Semi Finals; S Woodside (Blairgowrie) (7) beat A B Risk (6) 4/3. R N MacDonald (7) beat M Mackintosh (5) 3/2. Final MacDonald beat Woodside 7/5.
Class 2 Clynelish Shield – Semi Finals; S Gunn (10) beat N Thornton (Woodhall Hills) (9) 6/4. M Cormack (Inverness) (11) beat B A Glass (11) 4/2 Final; Gunn beat Cormack 5/4.
Class 3 Auchroist Cup - Semi Finals; C MacDonald (Notts) (24) beat D Norrie (13) 1 hole. B Dugois (Luberon) (17) beat J D Ross (20) 3/1 Final – MacDonald beat Dugois 1 hole.
Supplementary Clynelish Plate – Sam Woodside (Blairgowrie)
Paul Lawrie Foundation Jug . Kyle Sutherland (11) 69/66 135
First time win for new member at Tain.
It is a phrase I have often quoted and experienced myself as a beaten finalist, “you have to lose one to win one” writes Robin Wilson and it showed up once again in the scratch final at Tain last Thursday when Kilmacolm's Dave Pearson, beaten finalist two years ago, returned to the final and this time won the McVitie and Price Cup for the first time.
A new non local winner of the cup was assured when the Ferries brothers Billy and Munro lost in the semi finals to Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) and Pearson respectively. Pearson with local family connections had only joined the host club at the beginning of the week having moved house to Dornoch two weeks earlier but choosing Tain over Royal Dornoch for membership.
In his 2009 final appearance Pearson went down to Jimmy Russell (Murcar Links) and at his second attempt survived a quarter exit with a 19th hole win over Laurie Chancellor (Inverness) before then defeating the club captain and club champion, Munro Ferries to gain a return to the final.
Fotheringham who is now also a country member at Tain through his friendship with US college student, Sammy Vass, took his place in the match play draw as leading qualifier after rounds of 68 and 70 and made it through to the last four when he beat the 2009 winner, Russell, but when it came to the final he lost his way early and then again towards the end of it. The first hole to par, the second hole to a Pearson birdie.
The ex Scottish youth internationalist after losing the opening two holes recovered to level the tie by the ninth hole. From another birdie on the 10th hole Pearson kick started a surging run to the cup. The ex Kilmacolm member won the 13th and 14th holes with pa rand birdie figures to go three in front and when Fotheringham drove out of bounds from the 15th tee the tie was over and Pearson put behind him his defeat of two years earlier.
The line up in the ladies final for the Flower Shop London House Cup was a repeat of last month's Tain women's club championship final, Sammy Vass, the holder, again facing her aunt, Mary Smith. Scottish senior internationalist Smith reversed the club championship result with magical birdie two on the 16th green to win the four day event for the first time since it was introduced into Golf Week in 2009 when the first winner was her sister Anne Ryan.
Going through the handicap sections from four ahead after nine holes in the Stirling Cup final local Iain Cowper birdied the 13th hole to ease past club mate Graeme Ross by 4&3. Next up was a clash in the final of the Munro Rosebowl featuring two local lefties, Eric Morrison and Iain Cooper. Morrison lost in the final twelve months ago and just like Pearson he returned to put matters right with a strong inward half. Birdies on the 13th and 14th holes gave him a two hole lead and after finding the 16th green secured a 3&2 win.
Continuing the line of successes by Irish golfers, Harrington, McIlroy and Clarke, two former club mates at Armagh Golf Club, Northern Ireland and annual visitors to Tain met up in the final of the Brookes Cup. Gary Toal now lives in the West of Scotland and is a member of Ranfurly Castle but Denis Hughes still crosses the Irish Sea each year from County Armagh to take part and put one over his old club mate in the final with a rousing 5and 3 result after taking five holes in succession from the 11th.
The match play competitions closed with the final of the women's Mary Hayden Trophy and this prize made the even longer crossing -the English Channel, for a year's residence on the Mediterranean Coastal city of Marseilles. Rosemary Bonnin and her family from Golf Club Aix Marseilles use Brora as their August holiday residence and she and her sister made the shorter crossing of the Dornoch Bridge to play in Tain Rosemary Bonin met local Lorraine Mackay in the handicap final. It went to the 19th hole where Mackay over hit the green with her third shot and took three more to get down leaving her delighted French opponent with an easy two putt bogey five to win.
Four day Tournament Results (All Tain unless stated); Leading Qualifiers Men, Fraser Fotheringham (The Nairn) 138. Ladies, Sammy Vass (Tain) 150. Mens Match Play- McVitie and Price Cup – quarter finals – F Fotheringham beat J Russell (Murcar Links) 3/1, B Ferries beat J Innes 6&5, D Pearson beat L Chancellor (Inverness) at 19th. M Ferries beat D Kryzanowski (Strathpeffer Spa) 5&4. semi finals, Fotheringham beat B Ferries 1 hole. Pearson beat M Ferries 3&2. Final Pearson beat Fotheringham 4&3. Stirling Cup – Semi finals I Cowper (7) beat D Kellock (Cathcart Castle) (11) 2&1, G Ross (9) beat D Neville (10). 4&3. Final, Cowper beat Ross 4&3. Munro Rosebowl, Semi finals – E Morrison (6) beat J Lockhart (Bathgate) (8) 4&3. I Cowper beat T Brailsford (Dunblane (8) 4&3. Final, Morrison beat Cowper 3&2. Brookes Cup Semi finals – G Toal (Ranfurly Castle) (11) beat K Anderson (13) at 19th. D Hughes (Armagh) (13) beat R Farquhar (13) at 21st. Final – Hughes beat Toal 5&3.
Ladies Scratch – Semi finals - S Vass beat L Grieve (Musselburgh) 5&4, M Smith beat C Ross 1 hole. Final Smith beat Vass 3&2. Handicap Semi finals – R Bonin (Aix Marseilles) beat P Lockie (North Berwick) 5&4, L Mackay beat M Meechan (Bathgate) 6&5. Final Bonnin beat Mackay at 19th.
Labels: Amateur Men
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See story on its own page | Tuesday, August 09, 2011
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