Stephen Gray wins after Scott Henderson bogey-bogey finish at Brora

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Stephen Gray scored his ninth win of the Tartan Tour season when he collected first prize of £900 in the inaugural Northern Links Callaway Challenge over the Tain and Brora Golf Club courses.
But the Hayston man would have been demoted to second place had Scott Henderson been able to par the last two holes in the second and final round at Brora today.
Gray, playing ahead of Henderson, had finished with a three-under-par 66 for a total of six-under-par 133 following his three-under 67 at Tain on Tuesday.
So the Kings Links man, a former Northern Open champion and past European Tour Rookie of the Year knew what he had to do after birdieing the first, fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth and 10th with only bogeys at the second and third taking the edge off that superlative run.
But Henderson, after six pars on the trot, bogeyed the 17th and then also bogeyed the 18th for a 67, a repeat of his first-day score, to finish second on 134, a shot behind winner Gray.
At 17th the Aberdonian drove into an adjacent second-hole fairway bunker and at the 18th he put his tee shot onto a hill to the right of the green. Henderson played a good recovery but missed the par putt of 10 feet that would have forced a play-off.
It has to be said that Scott's putting let him down over the final nine holes. He missed chances on the 13th, 14th and 16th greens
Stephen Gray's top of the table earnings now amount to £32,941. What a season the Hayston man has had!
Henderson's consolation prize was a cheque for £710.
Welshman Gareth Wright from West Linton collected £630 for a third place finish in which he and fourth-placed David Patrick (Elie Sports Centre) jointly set a professional course record of four-under-par 65.
Amateur Jimmy Miller - the man who beat American ace Johnny Miller in a singles match when the Brigham Young University golf team toured the North -holds the amateur course record of 61, set in 1976.
Wright's rounds were 70 and 65 for 135, former Walker Cup man Patrick 71 and 65 for 136. Patrick earned £560.
+pictured above by courtesy of Robin Wilson are (left to right): Alistair Risk (president of Brora GC), winner Stephen Gray, Andrew Crerar (captain of PGA Scottish Region) and Brian Mason, sponsors Callaway's representative).


FINAL TOTALS
Par 139 (Tain par 70, Brora par 69)
133 Stephen Gray (Hayston) 67 66 (£900).
134 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 67 67 (£710).
135 Gareth Wright (West Linton) 70 65 (£630).
136 David Patrick (Elie Sports Centre) 71 65 (£560).
137 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 70 67, Chris Kelly (Cawder) (£470 each).
138 Kenny Hutton (Downfield) 71 67, Colin Gillies (Kingsfield) 70 68, Steven Duncan (Carnoustie Golf Links) 67 71 (£328 each).
139 Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) 70 69, Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 69 70 (£257 each).
140 Andrew Crerar (Panmure) 73 67, Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) 73 67, Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 72 68, Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 71 69 (£201 each).
141 Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club) 74 67, Christopher Currie (Caldwell) 72 69, Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 71 70, Graeme Brown (Montrose) 70 71, James McGhee (Duddingston) 69 72, Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle) 67 74 (£127 each).
142 Greg McBain (Gamola Golf) 75 67, William Colquhoun (Dundonald Links) 74 68, Mark Kerr (Murrayfield) 72 70, Alan Reid (West Lothian) 68 73 (£72 each).
FOLLOWING FINISHED OUTWITH THE PRIZEMONEY LIST
143 Craig Gordon (Edinburgh Sports Centre) 76 67, Malcolm Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) 74 69, Stuart Williamson (West Kilbride) 72 71, Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 72 71, Stuart Grieve (Turnhouse) 70 73.
144 Stuart Reekie (Blairgowrie) 72 72.
145 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) 76 69, Paul Jamieson (Dunblane New0 75 70, David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 74 71.
146 David Thomson (Carnegie Club) 77 69, Sean thompson (Renaissance Club) 75 71, Ross MacLeod (Eastwood) 74 72.
147 Scott Herald (Adam Hunter Golf) 77 70, Patrick Walker (St Andrews Links Golf Academy) 74 73, Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 74 73, Matthew Burtt (Helensburgh) 74 73, Stuart Morrison (Tain) 72 75.
148 Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links) 76 72, Grant Smith (Gleneagles) 74 74.
149 Mark King (Kingsfield) 77 72, James McKinnon (Irvine) 74 75, Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie Golf Links) 73 76.
150 Alastair Mackenzie (Renaissance Club) 77 73, Jody Rostock (Carnegie Club) 77 73, Malcolm Murray (Bearsden) 77 73, Ewan Davie (Dunblane New) 74 76.
151 Stephen McAllister (Renaissance Club) 82 69, Lewis Burnett (Adam Hunter Golf) 76 75, Gary Dingwall (Royal Dornoch) 76 75.