PAUL DOLTON UNEXPECTED WINNER OF CARNEGIE SHIELD

By ROBIN WILSON

Since presented to the Royal Dornoch Golf Club in 1901 the Carnegie Shield has been played for 98 times and having witnessed most of the finals since 1965 I would have to say that last Saturday's winner was probably the most unexpected from all I have seen.
Paul Dolton is a member of the highly regarded English golf club Frilford Heath near Oxford and as the name suggests a heathland course much akin to the world ranking links of Royal Dornoch which he was seeing for the first time. Dolton said after his surprise win in the final over Inverness's John Forbes that he chose Dornoch as his preference is links golf and plays on links whenever the opportunity arises
Aged 44 and a self employed plasterer in Oxford he impressed at Dornoch with his ability to play a links style of golf in tough windy conditions making few mistakes from the tees and accepting where greens were out of reach relying on a trusty chip and run game.
On his arrival in Dornoch he had first a round over Brora on the recommendation of an ex Nairn member now at Frilford Heath to reacquaint his links game for the test that was to follow. And follow it did in some of the worst weather in memory at the start of a Carnegie Shield Week. Just twelve scores better than 76 on Tuesday and in Wednesday's incessant downpour, from morning to night, when it was a credit to the committee, green's staff and players that the day was completed the scratch 36 hole qualifying figure soared to one of its highest at 168.
Dolton had returned 79 and 82 to make it through in eleventh place behind the leading qualifier, Inverness's scratch golfer Forbes, who with the best of Wednesday's cards, a 76, was one of only four players who managed to break 80 in the torrential rain.
Thursday's weather showed an improvement as did Friday's but their was few smiles from the home support who were looking for a third Dornoch win in succession. Kevin Matheson was their only chance left in Friday morning's quarter-finals.
On the sidelines were the holder Alex MacDonald, and the 2009 winner Chris Mailley. Matheson fell on Friday to Inverness's Alan Cameron who lined up an all Inverness semi-final against Forbes. Last hope of a Dornoch win was with their overseas member Andrew Biggadike from the Olympic Club, California.
Biggadike had repeated his capture of the Silver Medal as the club's leading qualifier but his hopes of adding to his previous three Carnegie triumphs 2003, 2005 and 2008, was dashed under Saturday morning's blue skies in the semi-final against Dolton who beat him with a birdie three on the 17th green after the Oxford man had progressed unnoticed through the previous three rounds.
The Frilford Heath member would meet Forbes in the final, his Inverness club mate Alan Cameron still wondering why it was not him in the afternoon game after he squandered a four hole lead to sparkling play from Forbes over the final six holes of the other semi-final. With Cameron in the bunker from the 13th tee Forbes had his eight foot putt for birdie conceded to him on the 13th green then followed an outrages 60 foot putt for birdie on the next green to rock Cameron even more. Also winning the 15th hole with par Forbes went to the 18th tee level when a dumbfounded Cameron drove into the left fairway bunker from the 17th tee and then three putt the final green to gift Forbes a place in the final.
What little gallery accompanied the final saw Dolton and Forbes sparring with each other over the opening few holes before Dolton moved ahead by three from par figures on the 5th 6th and seventh holes before his only mistake of the game from the 8th tee which ended in a lost ball but the Englishman was still two ahead after nine.
Both had poor attempts at chipping onto the tenth green and the short hole was halved in double bogies but the general opinion remained that Forbes, due to his length advantage into the home facing wind, would still prevail. But how wrong these opinions were as Dolton kept to his game plan staying out of trouble and relying on a short game and red hot putter that eventually saw Forbes beaten 3&2 from a succession of holed eight and nine foot putts. His winning putt on the sixteenth green for the 3 and 2 result arriving after fortunately avoiding the car park with his approach shot while Forbes failed to keep the tie alive with a miss from two feet.
While there was disappointment for the home support in the scratch section there was a double interest in the final of the low handicap division for the Davidson Trophy. Gordon Sutherland had returned for a second bite of the cherry after losing last years final from a winning position. But there was no second attempt redemption for Sutherland although he did fight all the way to the final green where he had to give way to the younger nineteen year old William Short who failed to make the final green in three but rolled his twenty five yard approach putt to two feet and win by one hole being dormy of the 18th tee.
Another young golfer, Oliver Greenhalgh, from Royal Mid Surrey who has a handicap of ten was much too good for Australian visitor from the Avalon Golf Club, New South Wales, in the final of the high handicap section for the E C Fraser Trophy. Ten handicap holder Greenhalgh began the final with a birdie three and went two ahead with par at the second hole. His three hole lead after nine holes increased to four after ten and although he lost the next hole his Australian opponent made no further inroads into his deficit and surrendered on the 16th green at 4&3.
Club Captain Hamish Macrae invited the lady captain Irene Hart to present the trophies to the winners with the Dornoch general manager Neil Hampton in attendance.