SCOTT HENDERSON TAKES £5,000 PRIZE AT SKIBO

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com  Scott Henderson once won the Northern Open at Cruden Bay when it was blowing a gale on the final day. That bad weather expertise resurfaced in the Carnegie Invitational over the Carnegie Links at Skibo Castle, near Dornoch today, enabling him to win the £5,000 first prize - his biggest pay cheque for some time - with a second-round, five-over-par 76 for a three-over total of 145. Birdies were an endangered species in the awful conditions of wind and rain and damage limitation was the name of the game. Henderson double bogeyed the 10th and bogeyed the seventh, 12th 14th and 18th. But he was able to get a solitary birdie at the 17th and that was to prove vital in the end - because the Aberdonian won by one shot from Hayston's Stephen Gray. Gray totalled a 77 for 146. He had his one birdie - at the third - early in his round but he bogeyed the first, sixth, seventh, ninth, 11th, 12th and 16th. One bogey too many to tie with Henderson but £3,500 for finishing runner-up was a very acceptable consolation prize. Local knowledge of the course and how to play in it awful conditions worked wonders for local pro staff member Jody Rostock. While Henderson and Gray took seven and eight shots respectively more than they did on Tuesday, Rostock actually improved from a 76 to a one-over 72. He had TWO birdies on his card - at the seventh and 18th and had only three bogeys, at the 11th, 13th and 16th. He earned £2,833 for a splendid effort alongside the cream of the Tartan Tour. Such is the depth of prize fund in the Carnegie Invitational that another local staff pro, Joel Hopwood finished last on 166, after a nightmare 91 in the second round, but his prize was £1,800 - nice work if you can get it! CARNEGIE INVITATIONAL Carnegie Links, Skibo Castle, nr Dornoch PRO TOTALS (Par 142: 2 x 71) 145 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 69 76 (£5,000). 146 Stephen Gray (Hayston) 69 77 (£4,250). 148 Jody Rostock (Carnegie Club) 76 72 (£3,500). 149 Mark King (Kingsfield) 75 75, Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 72 77, Colin Gillies (Kingsfield) 72 77 (£2,833 each). 150 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 73 77 (£2,450). 152 Peter Smith (Deeside) 75 77 (£2,350). 155 Craig Ronald (Carluke) 74 81 (£2,250). 158 Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) 77 81 (£2,200). 159 Gordon Law (Uphall) 76 83, David Thomson (Carnegie Club) 77 82 (£2,125 each). 160 Stephen McAllister (Renaissance Club) 78 82 (£2,000). 161 Fraser Cromarty (Castle Stuart) 82 79 (£1,900). 169 Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club) 78 91 (£1,800). ends