CRAIG WATSON WINS HERBIE PIRIE TROPHY AT RENFREW GC

                                   CRAIG WATSON
NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION
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Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn have already demonstrated this season that the “more mature” golfer can still do the business. On a wet and windy day at Renfrew Golf Club, Craig Watson from East Renfrewshire Golf Club – who was 31 when he won the British Amateur Championship, made the Walker Cup team and competed in both the Masters and the Open in 1998 - followed their example with a great exhibition of quality golf in extremely testing conditions.
The event was the Herbie Pirie Trophy played over 36 holes and the final event of the Renfrewshire Golf Union’s Order of Merit.
The field is restricted to those players still in contention for the Order of Merit and has double points. Craig was leading the points table but there was a strong challenge from Gregor Munro (Ranfurly Castle) and Andrew Farmer (Kilmacolm) for the title.
The morning round had four players on 72, an excellent score in the conditions. They were Craig Watson, Renfrew’s Michael Campbell and Stephen McNamara and Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm). As the weather deteriorated for the afternoon round, scoring got higher and Gregor Munro was first to make a challenge with a 74 for an aggregate of 150.
Matthew Clark and Ranfurly Castle’s Murray Stewart both recorded totals of 149 and, for a while, a play off looked possible. Then Andrew Farmer recorded an afternoon 73 for 148, soon eclipsed by Michael Campbell with 75 for 147 but both had to pay homage to Craig who was in the final game and showed that he has the game to cope with the most extreme conditions with a second level par round of 72 for a total of 144.
The win cemented Craig’s position in the Order of Merit table and two trophies are on their way to East Renfrewshire Golf Club.
Final Positions:
Herbie Pirie Trophy –
Craig Watson – East Renfrewshire – 72/72 = 144
Michael Campbell – Renfrew – 72/75 =147
Andrew Farmer - Kilmacolm – 75/73 = 148
Murray Stewart – Ranfurly Castle – 73/76 = 149
Matthew Clark – Kilmacolm – 72/77 = 149

Order of Merit
Craig Watson – 886.5
Gregor Munro – 668.5
Andrew Farmer – 602.5