E-mail from Robbie Stewart

Cruden Bay

Saw a wee paragraph in the P&J this morning about the latest biennial golf course rankings by Golf Magazine and thought that it was worth mentioning that Cruden Bay is now ranked 83^rd in the world and is the only golf course in the north-east of Scotland to be in the Top 100 Courses in the World.

 We are delighted with our ranking as there have been many improvements to the course over the last few years, both on architectural improvements to the course and to the condition of the greens and it’s nice to see these recognised. We look forward to this ranking improving even further over the years as Cruden Bay returns more and more to being a true links course with true links putting surfaces.

 By the way, I also think it’s fantastic that Castle Stuart is the highest ranked new course in the world rankings at number 56 in the world.  

Robbie Stewart

PGA Director of Golf

Cruden Bay Golf Club

Aulton Road

Cruden Bay

Aberdeenshire

AB42 0NN

Tel: 01779 812285

Email: secretary@crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk

http://www.crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk/

PAUL DOLTON UNEXPECTED WINNER OF CARNEGIE SHIELD

By ROBIN WILSON

Since presented to the Royal Dornoch Golf Club in 1901 the Carnegie Shield has been played for 98 times and having witnessed most of the finals since 1965 I would have to say that last Saturday's winner was probably the most unexpected from all I have seen.
Paul Dolton is a member of the highly regarded English golf club Frilford Heath near Oxford and as the name suggests a heathland course much akin to the world ranking links of Royal Dornoch which he was seeing for the first time. Dolton said after his surprise win in the final over Inverness's John Forbes that he chose Dornoch as his preference is links golf and plays on links whenever the opportunity arises
Aged 44 and a self employed plasterer in Oxford he impressed at Dornoch with his ability to play a links style of golf in tough windy conditions making few mistakes from the tees and accepting where greens were out of reach relying on a trusty chip and run game.
On his arrival in Dornoch he had first a round over Brora on the recommendation of an ex Nairn member now at Frilford Heath to reacquaint his links game for the test that was to follow. And follow it did in some of the worst weather in memory at the start of a Carnegie Shield Week. Just twelve scores better than 76 on Tuesday and in Wednesday's incessant downpour, from morning to night, when it was a credit to the committee, green's staff and players that the day was completed the scratch 36 hole qualifying figure soared to one of its highest at 168.
Dolton had returned 79 and 82 to make it through in eleventh place behind the leading qualifier, Inverness's scratch golfer Forbes, who with the best of Wednesday's cards, a 76, was one of only four players who managed to break 80 in the torrential rain.
Thursday's weather showed an improvement as did Friday's but their was few smiles from the home support who were looking for a third Dornoch win in succession. Kevin Matheson was their only chance left in Friday morning's quarter-finals.
On the sidelines were the holder Alex MacDonald, and the 2009 winner Chris Mailley. Matheson fell on Friday to Inverness's Alan Cameron who lined up an all Inverness semi-final against Forbes. Last hope of a Dornoch win was with their overseas member Andrew Biggadike from the Olympic Club, California.
Biggadike had repeated his capture of the Silver Medal as the club's leading qualifier but his hopes of adding to his previous three Carnegie triumphs 2003, 2005 and 2008, was dashed under Saturday morning's blue skies in the semi-final against Dolton who beat him with a birdie three on the 17th green after the Oxford man had progressed unnoticed through the previous three rounds.
The Frilford Heath member would meet Forbes in the final, his Inverness club mate Alan Cameron still wondering why it was not him in the afternoon game after he squandered a four hole lead to sparkling play from Forbes over the final six holes of the other semi-final. With Cameron in the bunker from the 13th tee Forbes had his eight foot putt for birdie conceded to him on the 13th green then followed an outrages 60 foot putt for birdie on the next green to rock Cameron even more. Also winning the 15th hole with par Forbes went to the 18th tee level when a dumbfounded Cameron drove into the left fairway bunker from the 17th tee and then three putt the final green to gift Forbes a place in the final.
What little gallery accompanied the final saw Dolton and Forbes sparring with each other over the opening few holes before Dolton moved ahead by three from par figures on the 5th 6th and seventh holes before his only mistake of the game from the 8th tee which ended in a lost ball but the Englishman was still two ahead after nine.
Both had poor attempts at chipping onto the tenth green and the short hole was halved in double bogies but the general opinion remained that Forbes, due to his length advantage into the home facing wind, would still prevail. But how wrong these opinions were as Dolton kept to his game plan staying out of trouble and relying on a short game and red hot putter that eventually saw Forbes beaten 3&2 from a succession of holed eight and nine foot putts. His winning putt on the sixteenth green for the 3 and 2 result arriving after fortunately avoiding the car park with his approach shot while Forbes failed to keep the tie alive with a miss from two feet.
While there was disappointment for the home support in the scratch section there was a double interest in the final of the low handicap division for the Davidson Trophy. Gordon Sutherland had returned for a second bite of the cherry after losing last years final from a winning position. But there was no second attempt redemption for Sutherland although he did fight all the way to the final green where he had to give way to the younger nineteen year old William Short who failed to make the final green in three but rolled his twenty five yard approach putt to two feet and win by one hole being dormy of the 18th tee.
Another young golfer, Oliver Greenhalgh, from Royal Mid Surrey who has a handicap of ten was much too good for Australian visitor from the Avalon Golf Club, New South Wales, in the final of the high handicap section for the E C Fraser Trophy. Ten handicap holder Greenhalgh began the final with a birdie three and went two ahead with par at the second hole. His three hole lead after nine holes increased to four after ten and although he lost the next hole his Australian opponent made no further inroads into his deficit and surrendered on the 16th green at 4&3.
Club Captain Hamish Macrae invited the lady captain Irene Hart to present the trophies to the winners with the Dornoch general manager Neil Hampton in attendance.

BYRNE, STEWART ONLY SCOTS IN GB AND I WALKER CUP LINE-UP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A

The R and A has announced the Great Britain and Ireland team for the Walker Cup, being played at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. The team will face the United States of America over Saturday and Sunday, September and 11.

Nigel Edwards, Captain of the GB and I team said, “I’m very pleased with the team that has been selected and I’m sure a number of players will be disappointed to miss out.

“These players represent the strongest group of amateur golfers that GB and I has to offer and I believe that we will do very well at Royal Aberdeen”.

TEAM

Steven Brown, 24, Wentworth

James Byrne, 22, Banchory

Paul Cutler, 22, Portstewart

Alan Dunbar, 21, Rathmore

Stiggy Hodgson, 21, Sunningdale

Tom Lewis, 20, Welwyn Garden City

Rhys Pugh, 17, Vale of Glamorgan

Jack Senior, 23, Heysham

Michael Stewart, 21, Troon Welbeck

Andy Sullivan, 24, Nuneaton

RESERVES

David Law, 20, Hazelhead

Ross Kellett, 23, Colville Park

CAPTAIN

Nigel Edwards, 43, Whitchurch (Cardiff)

PEN PICTURES OF THE GB AND I TEAM

Steven Brown, 24, Wentworth, England

Brown made a late burst to get in the team with victory in the EnglisAmateur Championship at Woburn. He also finished runner-up in the European Amateur Championship, losing the title in a three-hole playoff. He was third leading qualifier in this year’s Amateur Championship, and runner-up in the Scottish Stroke Play Championship.

James Byrne, 22, Banchory, Scotland

Byrne spent four years at Arizona State University. He was runner-up in last year’s Amateur Championship. He reached the semi-finals of this year’s Scottish Amateur Championship, and played well in the European Team Championships in Portugal, where he was undefeated. Local knowledge should help Byrne. He lives near Royal Aberdeen and knows the course well.

Paul Cutler, 22, Portstewart, Ireland

Cutler learnt the game on the links of Portstewart Golf Club, not far from Royal Portrush. Cutler first made a serious bid to be part of the team when he won last year’s Lytham Trophy. He won this year’s Irish Amateur Closed and West of Ireland Championships. He also played well in this year’s Irish Open on the European Tour, finishing 21st.

Alan Dunbar, 21, Rathmore, Ireland

Dunbar was a double winner last year when he won the Irish Amateur Open and the North of Ireland Amateur championships. His best finishes this season are second place in the Brabazon Trophy and runner-up in the West of Ireland Championship. He also had top 10 finishes in the Irish Amateur Open Championship (T9) and the East of Ireland Championship (T6).

Stiggy Hodgson, 21, Sunningdale, England

Hodgson is the only remaining GB&I player from the 2009 team at Merion. The diminutive Englishman was the star of the GB&I team then, winning two points out of four. He began this year by reaching the final of the Spanish Amateur. He finished fourth in the European Amateur Championship, reached the last 16 of the English Amateur and was fifth in the Brabazon Trophy.

Tom Lewis, 20, Welwyn Garden City, England

Lewis announced himself to the world of golf at Royal St George’s this July when he became the first amateur since Sir Michael Bonallack in 1968 to lead The Open Championship. Lewis compiled an opening 65 to share the lead with Thomas Bjorn, and went on to finish joint 30th to take the silver medal as leading amateur. He won the St Andrews Links Trophy in June. He finished 59th in the Dubai Desert Classic, his first European Tour event. He ended the 2010 season with two outstanding performances on the Australasian Tour, finishing 12th in the Australian Open and losing a playoff to Peter O’Malley in the New South Wales Open.

Rhys Pugh, 17, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

Pugh is the youngest member of the team and the first Welshman to appear in the Walker Cup since Rhys Davies and Nigel Edwards in 2007. Pugh won the Peter McEvoy Trophy and Fairhaven Trophy last year and captained the GB and I Boys team at the Jacques Leglise Trophy. He holds the record as youngest player to represent Wales, an honour he achieved as a 15-year-old in the 2009 Home Internationals. He won this year’s Irish Amateur Open Championship, reached the final of the Welsh Amateur, and will attend East Tennessee State University.

Jack Senior, 23, Heysham, England

Senior won this year’s Lytham Trophy in appalling weather conditions, so he should be able to handle the wind that often sweeps over Royal Aberdeen. He began the season by winning the New South Wales Amateur Championship in Australia. Last year he won the South of England Championship. His regular foursomes partner in the England setup is Andrew Sullivan, and GB&I captain Nigel Edwards might look to the two Englishman as a possible pairing.

Michael Stewart, 21, Troon Welbeck, Scotland

Stewart underlined his match play credentials by reaching the final of this year’s Amateur Championship. He started the season by winning the South African Amateur Championship. He was a finalist in last year’s Scottish Amateur and is a former Scottish Boys champion. Stewart attended East Tennessee State University for two years and won two tournaments on the US college circuit.

Andy Sullivan, 24, Nuneaton, England

Sullivan won this year’s Scottish Stroke Play Championship. He finished 6th in the St Andrews Links Trophy and second in the Brabazon Trophy. He was the top English points earner in the recent Home Internationals, winning five matches with just one loss to help England win. Last year he won the 2010 Midland Amateur Championship, the Lagonda Trophy and the Hampshire Salver.

+James Byrne is the seventh player from Aberdeen and farther North to be chosen for a Walker Cup match.

His predecessors were:

1955 and 1961 Major David Blair (Nairn).

1967 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) 

1971-73-75 Hugh Stuart (Forres).

1997 Steven Young (Inverallochy).

2003 Graham Gordon (Newmachar).

2005 Richie Ramsay (Royal Aberdeen).