JORDAN FINDLAY WINS NORTH-EAST DISTRICT OPEN AT INCHMARLO

SCOTT CRICHTON LOSES SIX-STROKE
LEAD OVER SUNDAY'S TWO ROUNDS

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Almost eight years to the day since he won the British boys' championship final, Jordan Findlay from Fraserburgh covered the last 36 holes in three-under-par to win the North-east District Open amateur stroke-play championship at Inchmarlo Golf Club, Banchory today.
It's often forgotten that Findlay also reached the 2005 British boys' final, in which he was beaten, but it is an indication that mid-August is the time of the year when he plays very well indeed.
This latest victory was Findlay's best performance since he beat a field of professionals and amateurs to win the Scottish Alliance championship at Murcar Links last autumn and, a month or two earlier, reached the final of the Scottish amateur championship at Gullane where he lost to Michael Stewart.
At Inchmarlo, the Buchan man had rounds of 72, 69, 69 and 68 over the par-70 woodland lay-out for a two-under-par total of 278.
Findlay, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, dropped from the Scotland home international team which failed to take the title from Englandin Ireland last week, held his nerve in a tight finish to hole an eight or nine-footer for par on the last green to win by a single shot from three players - former Scotland international Bryan Innes (Murcar Links), Conor O'Neil (Pollok) and long-time leader Scott Crichton (Aberdour), all finishing on 279.
Innes did a "Ben Hogan" with ever-improving scores, climaxed by a fourth-round 65, the best round by anyone over the 72 holes.
O'Neil was joint second with Findlay and Justin Duff (also from Fraserburgh), still three shots behind pacemaker Crichton's with one round to do and finished with a 69. He bogeyed the last or would have been in a play-off with Findlay.
Duff finished fifth on 280 - only two strokes off the lead - and will tonight be rueing his bogey-bogey-bogey finish to his final round of 70.  
Crichton, who had beaten another "Buchan loon," Philip McLean, in a play-off to win the Cameron Corbett Vase 72-hole tournament in Glasgow a few weeks back, looked to have another SGU Order of Merit event victory sewn up when he started like an express train.
The Aberdour man led after 18 holes, he led after 36 holes and he still led after 54 but on Sunday morning he had begun to lose his momentum in the pole position.
With rounds of 68 and 66 for a six-under-par tally of 134, Crichton was six shots clear of the field at halfway. And he was still three ahead with only one round to go, but Crichton failed to produce his Sunday best to maintain that lead and his total for the second half tournament was 11 shots worse - 73 and 72 for five-over 145.
Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs), winner of the NE District Open title at Cruden Bay 12 months ago, never got into contention this year but finished a respectable joint 11th on 287.

ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70)
278 Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 72 69 69 68.
279 Bryan Innes (Murcar Links) 73 72 69 65, Conor O'Neil (Pollok) 73 70 67 69, Scott Crichton (Aberdour) 68 66 73 72.
280 Justin Duff (Fraserburgh) 75 67 68 70.
282 Barrie Edmond (Bon Accord) 67 73 71 71.
283 Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 71 70 70 72.
284 Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 67 76 68 73.
286 Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) 72 72 75 67, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 73 72 71 70.
287 Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 73 73 70 71, Nick MacAndrew (Cullen) 73 71 69 74.
288 John Duff (Newmachar) 75 73 70 70, Scott Robertson (Hazlehead) 69 77 72 70, Alan Sutherland (Ladybank) 75 67 74 72.
289 Clark Brechin (Portlethen) 73 68 74 74.
290 Michael Gray (Lanark) 72 77 71 70, Anthony Brews (Murcar Links) 76 71 72 71, Stephen Spiers (Portpatrick Dunskey) 71 74 72 73.
291 Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 78 73 72 68, Scott Ritchie (St Andrews) 75 71 75 70.
293 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 78 71 70 74.
294 Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 72 74 73 75, Paul Simpson (Aboyne) 74 70 75 75.
295 Kenny Gunnyeon (Murcar Links) 69 77 73 76.
296 Donald MacAndrew (Royal Aberdeen) 75 71 74 76.
297 David Michell (Leven Thistle) 78 73 79 67, Alistair Rogers (Monifieth) 74 73 76 74.
298 Ben Murray (Portlethen) 72 77 73 76.
299 Grant Carnie (Newburgh) 72 75 79 73.
300 Andrew Hepburn (Fraserburgh) 75 75 77 73.
301 Jamie Reid (Cruden Bay) 81 70 68 72, Ritchie Manson (Kemnay) 73 73 77 78, John Godward (McDonald Ellon) 71 74 75 81.
302 Iain Wilson (Dalmahoy) 75 75 75 81.303 Ross Anderson (Stonehaven) 72 76 76 79. 304 Lewis Mutch (Duff House Royal) 71 75 79 79. 315 Scott Murray (Stonehaven) 73 77 81 84
MISSED THE CUT
152 Euan Kennedy (Newmachar) 74 78
153 Iain Galbraith (Murcar Links) 77 76. 154 Andrew Carrell (Peterculter) 78 76.
155 John Mitchell (Fraserburgh) 71 84.
156 Ryan Donaldson (Portlethen) 80 76, Fraser O'Connor (Inchmarlo) 79 77, Mark McLean (Fraserburgh) 75 81, Matthew Greig (Bon Accord) 71 85.
157 Andy Campbell (Murcar Links) 87 76.
158 Stephen Cook (Portlethen) 78 80, Ryan McKinnon (Peterculter) 76 82.
159 Grant Joss (Royal Aberdeen) 79 80, Garry Duncan (Carnoustie) 78 81. 161 Gary Esson (Portlethen) 84 77, Greg Dunsmore (Saline) 84 77. 163 Barry Mitchell (Murcar Links) 83 80.
164 Cameron Johnstone (Northern) 78 86.
169 Andrew Hutchison (Kinross) 86 83.
174 James Watt (Meldrum House) 88 86.
175 Sean Hassard (Deeside) 91 84.
NRs James Hendrick (Pollok) 76 NR, Stuart McIntosh (Ballater) 79 NR, Richard Barr (Newmachar) 81 NR.