FLAWLESS DAVID ORR WINS TOP PRIZE AT POLLOCK PRO-AM

David Orr won the first prize of £891in today's Pollok Golf Club pro-am with a four-under-par round of 67.
The East Renfrewshire man, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, had a flawless round, studded with birdies at the first, short sixth, long seventh and 13th.
Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs Golf Range) was runner-up with a 68, which earned him £713. Robert bogeyed the iehght but birdied the ninth, 14th, long 15th and 18th.
Colin Gillies (Kingsfield), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) and David Patrick (Elie) tied for third place on 69, with each earning £419.
Colin birdied the fifth, had an eagle at the seventh but bogeyed the 10th and 11th before birdieing the 12th.
Jason had a purple patch of six birdies in the space of 10 holes but he also had four bogeys.
David sandwich a couple of bogeys beteen a good start (birdies at the first and fourth) and a good finish (birdies at the 15th and 16th).
LEADERBOARD
Par 71
67 David Orr (East Renfrewshire).
68 Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs).
69 Colin Gillies (Kingsfield), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), David Patrick (Elie).

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ROSS CAMERON, STEPHEN GRAY IN EUROPRO TOUR PICTURE

Ross Cameron in action at Burhill Golf Club, Surry today (Image by courtesy of Lawrence Lustig).

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Ellon tour pro Ross Cameron shares the lead on 67 and Hayston's Stephen Gray is lying a shot back in joint third position at the end of a long first day in this week's PGA EuroPro Tour event at Burhill Golf Club, Surrey.
Cameron, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, birdied the long second, the third, the long fifth, the sixth, short eighth, 15th and 16th but he cancelled out two of these seven sub-par holes with bogeys at the seventh and 10th.
Co-leader is Billy Fowles from Wentworth.
Gray had a bogey-free round, highlighted by birdies at the third, long fifth, seventh and 16th.
Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) was the third best Scot on 74, joint 65th in a huge field of 156.
Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) was heading for the 74 mark until he bogeyed the 14th, 15th and 18th.
Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), still searching for his amateur form, had an 80 which included five bogeys in a row from the fourth and then a triple bogey 7 at the 10th.
Even sadder was an 81 for Zack, the youngest of the Saltman brothers. He had a double bogey 7 at the long second and a quadruple bogey 8 at the 14th.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
67 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon), Billy Fowles (Wentworth).
68 Stuart Archibald (England), Stephen Gray (Hayston).
69 Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park), Liam Harper (Ashford), Luke Goddard (Hendon), Adam Keogh (Boston West).
Other Scots' scores:
74 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) (T65).
75 Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) (T79).
76 Martin Lawrence (Newmachar) (T97).
77 Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) (T117).
79 Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) (T143).
80 Ian Redford (St Andrews New), Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), Steven Mackie (Dunnikier Park) (T151).
81 Zack Saltman (Archerfield Links) (T159).

CRAIBSTONE TO STAGE ALLIANCE-STYLE OPENS ON WEDNESDAYS

 CRAIBSTONE golf course, future bright under new management and ownership.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Craibstone Golf Club at Bucksburn, Aberdeen is to start a “Craibstone Alliance” open competition every Wednesday from June 8 until the North-east Alliance circuit restarts in September.

The 18-hole competitions will be open to male and female amateurs, professionals and assistant professionals. Entries from outwith the

area will be accepted.

The handicap limits for the amateurs will be 20 for men, and 30 for women.

Craibstone golf operations manager Billy Sim: “It’s an experiment really to test the water. By early September we should know if we are satisfying a need for a regular midweek open competition at a venue near Aberdeen through the summer months.

“If we are, then we will put the Craibstone Alliance on a more formal basis with a view to restarting it next year in April. Things we will find out from competitors would include whether Tuesday or Thursday would be a more suitable day and whether a competition every second midweek would be sufficient."

There will be no membership subscription for the Craibstone Alliance this year. The entry fee every Wednesday will be £15 or £10 for Craibstone Golf Club members. The normal visitor's green fee is £35 per round.

The level of weekly prizes will depend on the number of entries but they will be in line with the North-east Alliance prizelists except that professionals and lady amateurs will have their own categories.

Just like the North-east Alliance, tee times may be reserved in advance by competitors, either by telephone (01224 716777) or by calling in past Golf Operations Manager Billy Sim’s office at Craibstone Golf Club. When competing on a Wednesday competitors can put their names down for the times they want to play the following Wednesday.
There will be no prizegiving ceremonies. Prizewinners will collect their vouchers or cash in the case of professionals at the following Wednesday's competition.

Tee times for the Craibstone Alliance will normally be from 8am to 2pm.

The Brimmond Bistro, within the Craibstone clubhouse, is open to non members of the club and offers a selection of light meals, sandwiches, coffees, teas and cakes seven days a week from 9.30am to 6.30pm.
New owners Marshall Leisure have not only hired Billy Sim but also his brother John to be assistant head greenkeeper and a new young chef to be in charge of the catering.
Earlier this year the future looked black for the Craibstone club. Now the situation has been transformed by new management and new owners prepared to invest substantially in future improvements, including a driving range, a practice putting green adjacent to the clubhouse, a possible upper storey for the clubhouse and, more long-term, raising the quality of the first six holes, currently parkland, to the standard of the last 12 holes which are set in mature trees and more undulating land.
Confidence in Craibstone's rebirth is demonstrated by the number of oil companies who, within the past week or so, have made bookings for their staff and guests' outings this summer.

No one is claiming that Craibstone has suddenly become the best course in the North-east. But it is easily accessible for anyone who lives in the western half of Aberdeen and 12 miles round and, unlike many other clubs, it is as much a pay-and-play visitors' venue as it is a members' club.

How much longer this situation will last is a moot point. Craibstone, from a starting point early in the year of 0 members when the previous owners' business went into liquidation and the course was closed for several weeks, now has a healthy membership of more than 400 - and that figure is rising steadly. No joining subscription is required this year.
The introduction of Craibstone Alliance open competitions is a sign of the new management's readiness to try ideas that long-established clubs have never got round to. There are more in the pipeline ... a possible week-long festival with various competitions for all members of the family (as Deeside Golf Club had in the 1970s), parent-and-offspring greensomes, maybe a Tartan Tour pro-am.
Craibstone is alive again. Watch this space!

NORMAN AND FALDO MISS OPEN AT ROYAL ST GEORGE'S

FROM THE SKYSPORTS.COM WEBSITE

Greg Norman and Sir Nick Faldo, first and second in the record-breaking 1993 Open at Royal St George's, will not be involved in this year's championship at the Kent links.

The 56-year-old Australian underwent further shoulder surgery in February and, like Faldo, has not filed an entry for the July 14-17 event.

Norman's 267 total 18 years ago remains the lowest score in Open history and he is also the only man to have won the title with a closing 64.

It was to prove his last major victory. He lost a play-off to Paul Azinger in the USPGA a month later, was runner-up to Corey Pavin at the 1995 US Open and then, perhaps most famously of all, lost by five to Faldo at the 1996 Masters after going into the final day six clear of the field.

Just three years ago he was leading with nine to play at Royal Birkdale before eventually slipping back to third.

Norman did not play at St Andrews last July following a right shoulder operation the previous September, but his latest surgery was on his left shoulder - the same one that was operated on in 1998.

"For more than six months now I've known that such a procedure would be required," he said at the time. "I'm hopeful that with aggressive rehabilitation I will be able to play towards the end of July."

Faldo finished second two strokes behind Norman in 1993 and in the second round equalled the major record with a 63, but with his television commentary work he has not played a tournament since missing the cut at St Andrews last July.

PENNANT WINS BY Newmachar, Nigg Bay, Auchmill. Draw at Deeside

ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT PENNANT LEAGUE
Sponsored by the Cults Hotel

NEWMACHAR 4, HAZLEHEAD 1
at Newmachar
Home players named first 
John Duff and Euan Kennedy bt Scott Robertson and Greig Kennedy 2 and 1.
Chris Simpson and Mark McKechnie bt  Kevin Duffy and Kevin Allan 2 and 1.
Keith Martin and Chris Lamb bt Stuart McIntosh and Doug Elrick 3 and 2.
Richard Barr and Paul Henderson bt Allan Macklin and Mallcolm Allan 5 and 4.
George Mitchell and Mike Dickie lost to Davie Ogston and Ian T Murray 3 and 2.


The match was played in good spirit, the course complimented on by all (especially the greens) and the shot of the night had to be the slam dunked tee shot on the Par-3 sixth hole by Newmachar's Chris Simpson.
Richard Barr
Newmachar Match Secretary

NIGG BAY 3, CALEDONIAN 2

at Balnagask

R Young and D Yeats lost to S Allan and B Reid 3 and 2.

R Nielsen and I Welsh bt S Finnie and A Doig 1 hole.

R Forbes and G Pacitti bt W Ross and M Beattie 2 and 1.

G Stewart and A Cadman bt R Pirie and L Morrice 3 and 2.

G Grimmer and H Slater lost to C Dunbar and D Mullen 1 hole.

Ian Welsh
Nigg Bay GC.

DEESIDE 2 1/2, BON ACCORD 2 1/2

at Deeside GC

Deeside 1 lost to Matt Greig and G Somers 4 and 3.

Deeside 2 halved with N Mitchell and W Smith.

Deeside 3 lost to B Edmond and  Smith 1 hole.

Deeside 4 bt Mark Greig and  S Murray 6 and 5.

Deeside 5 bt J Annand and M Dunn 4 and 3.

Matt Greig 

Bon Accord Golf Club

NORTHERN 1, AUCHMILL 4

at Kings Links

Cameron McBain and Gary Horne lost to Mike Lynch and Alex Allan 3 and 2.

Stuart Manson and Ian Watt halved with Gary Geddes and Graham McLaggan.

David Leighton and Jon Inglis lost to Steve Scott and Scott Mackie 4 and 2.

William West and Cameron Johnstone halved with Phil Benson and Lee Taylor.

Phil Boyce and Derek Johnstone lost to Colin McQueen and Craig McQueen 3 and 2.

Derek Johnstone

Northern Golf Club.

+Clubs are invited to E-mail their Aberdeen Pennant results and details ASAP to Colin@scottishgolfview.com