PHILIP McLEAN OFF THE MARK AS A PRO - WINNER AT CRAIBSTONE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Peterhead’s Philip McLean has followed in mentor Paul Lawrie's footsteps by earning his first payslip as a professional at a North-east Golfers' Alliance competition.
With a three-under-par 66 over partially frost-bound Craibstone course, McLean, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, who turned pro during last week's European Tour Qualifying School Stage 2 event in Spain, won today’s Alliance competition to earn around £80 by heading a field of 66 competitors.
As Alliance joint secretary Dave Wilson recalled: “Paul Lawrie won his first money as an assistant pro in the North-east Alliance some years ago, so let's hope that’s a good omen for Philip McLean’s pro career.”
“I don’t think I’ll be framing the cheque, I need the money,” joked McLean who had an eagle, six birdies and five bogeys in conditions that were a lottery. Needless to say, preferred lies were in operation and temporary winter greens were in use. Some approach shots bounced through the frosty greens, others did not.
Despite that, McLean, with his father caddieing for him, covered the inward half in only 30 shots, including seven threes, five of them birdies.
"I drove the ball well - maybe as far as 300 yards in these conditions - and I also putted well," said McLean.
He won by three shots from fellow rookie pro Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) and six-handicapper Newburgh-on-Ythan amateur Brian Harper.
McLean and Findlay are heading for Morocco in February to play a combination of Alps Tour and EPD Tour events over a four or five-week stretch.
Findlay had four birdies - at the first, fourth, 12th and 14th - but cancelled them out with bogeys at the second, sixth, 11th and 16th.
Harper, who plays off six at Newburgh, led the clubhouse returns on his own until first McLean and then Findlay came in at the backend of the field Brian's net 63 won him the Class 1 first net prize by the handsome margin of six strokes. He had gross birdies at the first, ninth, 10th and 16th and bogeys at the fifth, sixth, 12th and 18th.
Hazlehead's father-and-daughter Lawrence and Claire Prouse both finished in the Class 2 prize list with net 69s. They are going to be a formidable pair in the North-east's open mixed foursomes circuit next summer.
Keith Watson (Deeside) had the proverbial game of two halves - 43 for the first nine, 33 for the inward half.
Gary Homer (Northern) had a gross 81, his lowest score since the old King died.
Playing off 12, Gary won the Class 2 handicap section by three shots with a net 69 although another 12-handicapper, Nigel Parker (Murcar Links), is quite right in claiming that he would have finished a lot closer to Homer than joint second alongside Peterculter's Jim Scott on net 72 but for an 8 in an outward gross 46 (inward 38).
Amazingly on a day when, as one competitor put it, "My golf was only marginally more enjoyable than going Christmas shopping with the wife," there were only two No Returns.
+Scroll down for a picture of Martin Forster with one of the Ron Menzies Memorial Trophies and why winning it has special significance for the Cruden Bay GC member.

LEADING SCRATCH
Par 69 (35-34)
66 P McLean (Peterhead) 36-30.
69 J Findlay (Fraserburgh) 35-34, B Harper (Newburgh) 35-34.
70 J Duff (Newmachar) 34-36.
71 S Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 38-33.
72 C Nelson (MacKenzie Shop) 38-34.
73 R Lamb (Newmachar) 36-37, D Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 37-36, E Kennedy (Newmachar) 39-34, F Bisset (Banchory) 37-36.
74 B Nicolson (Auchmill) 37-37.
75 L Prouse (Hazlehead) 39-36, L Vannet (Carnoustie) 37-38.
76 K F Watson (Deeside) 43-33, Claire Prouse (Hazlehead) 38-38, A Fiddes (Murcar Links) 40-36, P Lovie (P1 Corporate) 35-41, J Nicolson (Auchmill) 41-35, R O’Donnell (Oldmeldrum) 41-35.
77 S Finnie (Caledonian) 39-38.
78 A Graham (Aboyne) 39-39, G Ross (Meldrum House) 40-38.
79 J Borthwick (Craibstone) 41-38, P Morrison (Oldmeldrum) 40-39, H Roulston (Stonehaven) 41-38.
80 G Milne (Newburgh) 42-38, M Forster (Cruden Bay) 39-41, L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 40-42, A Ross (Deeside) 42-38.
81 J Duncan (Newburgh) 43-38, D Clark (Duff House Royal) 39-42, D Leslie (Northern) 40-41, G Homer (Northern) 44-37.
82 M Merchant (Newmachar) 37-45, J Scott (Peterculter) 43-39, A Gall (Deeside) 42-40, D Fleming (Portlethen) 42-40, D Bisset (Banchory) 42-40, D McKay (Caledonian) 43-39, D Wilson (Duff House Royal) 40-42.
84 C Cassie (Nigg Bay) 43-41, J Turner (Kemnay) 44-40, N K Parker (Murcar Links) 46-38.
85 L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) 41-44, B Robson (Newmachar) 47-38, A J Smith (Turriff) 42-43.
86 R Brown (Newburgh) 46-40, J Forrest (Northern) 44-42, P McIntosh (Newburgh) 45-41.
88 N Stewart (Northern) 46-42, P Guthrie (Peterculter) 45-43, W Shaw (Banchory) 45-43.
89 M Rendall (Stonehaven) 47-42, J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) 46-43.
90 D Randall (Banchory) 47-43, G Allan (Newmachar) 46-44.
91 M Rogers (Kemnay) 45-46.
92 R Orr (Kemnay) 42-50, I Grant (Keith) 49-43, J Gall (Caledonian) 48-44.
93 M Smith (Inverurie) 50-43, D Wright (Northern) 49-44.
96 P Cornfield (Auchmill) 48-48.
100 K Stephen (Northern) 53-47.

HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS
Class 1 - B Harper (Newburgh) (6) 63; R Lamb (Newmachar) (4), L Prouse (Hazlehead) (6), Claire Prouse (Hazlehead) (7), A Graham (9) 69.
Class 2 - G Homer (Northern) (12) 69; N K Parker (Murcar Links) (12), J Scott (Peterculter) (10) 72; L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) (12) 73; R Brown (Newburgh) (12) 74 (bih).

CRAIBSTONE PAR
OUT: 4-3-4-5-5-3-3-4-4: 35. IN: 3-4-3-4-4-4-4-4-4: 34

LEADING CARDS
Philip McLean 66
OUT: 3-3-4-3-6-4-4-5-4: 36. IN: 3-4-3-3-3-3-5-3-3: 30.
Jordan Findlay 69
OUT: 3-4-4-4-5-4-3-4-4: 35. IN: 3-5-2-4-3-4-5-4-4: 34
Brian Harper 69
OUT: 3-3-4-5-6-4--3-4-3: 35. IN: 2-4-4-4-4-4-3-4-5: 34
John Duff 70
OUT: 3-3-4-5-5-4-3-4-5: 36. IN: 3-5-3-4-4-3-5-4-3: 34
Scott Larkin 71
OUT: 4-3-4-5-6-3-3-5-5: 38. IN: 3-5-4-4-3-4-3-4-3: 33

The North-east Alliance now has a mid-winter break over the Festive period until Wednesday, January 11 at Inverallochy.

TEE TIMES FOR INVERALLOCHY
8.15 B Harper - C Cassie - K Watson - G Leslie
8.24 A Smith - P Lovie - C Carnegie - R Fitzpatrick
8.33 G Munro - D Macandrew - F Clark - A N Other
8.42 Claire Prouse - L Prouse - J Dalgarno - C Nelson
8.51 H Roulston - M Rendall - L Roger- A N Other

9.00 A Fiddes - J Scott - G Paterson - P Morrison
9.09 J Duff - R Lamb - E Kennedy - M Merchant
9.18 S Davidson - M Brown - R Brown - I Bratton
9.27 A N Other - A N Other - A N Other - A N Other
9.36 A N Other - A N Other - A N Other - A N Other
9.45 A Ross - G Ross - K Ingram - D Clark
9.54 L Fowler - A K Pirie - M Forster - W Sim

10.03 H McNaughton - J Forrest - N Stewart - A Gall
10.12 J Duncan - G Milne - J Jessiman - A Petrie
10.21 P McLean - J Findlay - K Nicol - A N Other
10.30 I Grant - M Smith - M Rogers - A N Other
10.39 D Leslie - B Lumsden - G Homer- D Bisset
10.48 S Larkin - F Bisset - J Murray - D Randall
10.57 P Leech - W McKenzie - M May - A Graham

11.06 W Shaw - D Wright - K Stephen - A N Other
11.15 N K Parker - G Stevely - A N Other - A N Other
11.24 D McKay - S Finnie - J Gall - A N Other
11.33 A N Other - A N Other - A N Other - A N Other
11.42 J Nicolson - G Allan - P Cornfield - A N Other
11.51 D Wilson - J Borthwick - R O'Donnell - A N Other

+If you want to fill one of the "A N Other" slots at Inverallochy, call Dave Wilson the day before the competition - in this case, Tuesday, January 13 - between 10am and 4.30pm on 07801 819746 

MARTIN FORSTER IN THE PICTURE AT LAST WITH RON MENZIES MEMORIAL TROPHY

It was back in Ocotober, at the North-east Alliance nearest to first anniversary of secretary Ron Menzies sudden death "in harness," that Cruden Bay's Martin Forster won, over his home course, one of the three trophies that will perpetuate Ron's name on the autumn-winter-spring circuit, writes Colin Farquharson.
But it has taken this long for Martin and yours truly to get together for the purpose of taking a picture of him with the Class 1 quaich.
Winning a "Ron Menzies Trophy" has a special significance for Martin, as he explained to me at
Craibstone today.
"Ron and I had a lot in common, which we did not discover until the North-east Golfers' Alliance brought our paths together. We both were born in Glasgow. We both went to Glasgow Academy and we were later both members at Hilton Park Golf Club."