BRATTON'S INVERALLOCHY ACE IS TRUMPED BY WINNER MUNRO

THE MAN, THE CLUB AND THE BALL ... Ian Bratton who had a hole in one at the 10th at Inverallochy today when the North-east Alliance season resumed. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Newburgh club professional Ian Bratton has been waiting weeks to have a wrist operation scheduled. He expected to have had it by now but no sign yet and he has to take pain-killers to get through a round of golf.
But every cloud has a silver lining and the popular Ian scored his first ever competitive hole in one - his fifth ace in all - to win the standing special £50 prize for a hole in one at the North-east Alliance competition over the Inverallochy Golf Club winter course ("summer" greens but a much shortened lay-out - maybe by too much?: seven par-3s and 11 par-4s)
With a gesture appreciated by his fellow competitors, Ian bought a bottle of whisky to mark the occasion, opened it and stood it on the bar counter with an invitation for all to have a drink on him. By the end of play, there was just about one nip left in the bottle.
Bratton’s ace with a nine-iron at the 110yd 10th hole helped him match the par of 65 but, on a day of very low scoring, that placed him only joint fifth overall in a field of 80.

Robert Gordon University student Gordon Munro, pictured right, a member at the nearby Fraserburgh course, scored his second win of the season with a three-under 62, following up his success at Craibstone in November.
The big-hitting Munro covered the last seven holes in five under par with an eagle 2 at the 12th, a birdie 3 at the 14th and a grandstand finish of birdie 2s at both the 17th and 18th
Even with a bogey at the 11th, he came home in only 28 shots (six under par) to win by one stroke from two other Fraserburgh players, rookie pro Jordan Findlay (34-29) and Kris Nicol (32-31)
Nice to see Paul Lawrie's nephew Sean - he goes back to Midland College, Texas tomorrow after his Festive holidays - squeezing in an Alliance round before he heads back to the States. Portlethen GC scratch player Sean had a 70. Is he enjoying college life and golf in America? "You bet!" he told me.
Northern's Gary Homer wants an asterisk next to his score of 79 ... to denote he had 13 putts over the last four greens.  I would have thought he would like to keep that kind of statistic quiet but there it is.
Speak about a game of two halves: Grant Leslie Newburgh's 75 was made up of 42 shots to the turn and 33 for the second nine.
Metal drivers are not indestructible - just ask Philip McLean who cracked the head of his driver during his round today. You or I would have to save up for a new one but Philip tells me his equipment supplier (whose name escapes me for the moment) will have a new one through to him within a couple of days).
Net returns under 60 are few and far between - thank goodness - but we had TWO today. Colin Duffus (Kemnay) had a net 59 off 7 and Mike Smith (Inverurie) a net 58 off 16. With mats in use, no handicap cuts ... although the late Ron Menzies was not averse to lowering handicaps in winter conditios if he thought such action was "deserved."
Still thinking of you every Wednesday, Ron.

LEADING SCRATCH SCORES
Par 65
62 G Munro (Fraserburgh) 34-28
63 J Findlay (Fraserburgh) 34-29, K Nicol (Fraserburgh) 32-31.
64 D Brown (Kemnay) 36-38
65 I Bratton (Newburgh) 35-30, B Harper (Newburgh) 36-29.
66 F Bisset (Banchory) 35-31, J A Ritchie (Inverallochy) 35-31, R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) 36-30, J Duff (Newmachar) 34-32, S Finnie (Caledonian) 35-31, P McLean (Peterhead) 32-34, R Lamb (Newmachar) 33-33, C Duffus (Kemnay).
67 S Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 36-31, W McKenzie (Berryhill DR) 36-31, E Kennedy (Newmachar) 34-33, J Nicolson (Auchmill).
68 L Prouse (Hazlehead) 38-30, J Duncan (Newburgh) 37-31, R O’Donnell (Oldmeldrum) 35-33.
69 A Ross (Deeside) 37-32
70 G Milne (Newburgh), D Leslie (Northern).
71 K Watson (Deeside), F Clarke (Newmachar), C Nelson (Mackenzie Club), J Scott (Peterculter), M Merchant (Newmachar), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), J Forrest (Northern).
72 A J Smith (Turriff).
73 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), M Forster (Cruden Bay), M May (Cruden Bay), L Graham (Murcar Links).
74 A J Fiddes (Murcar Links), M Smith (Inverurie), W Shaw (Banchory), M Duncan (Murcar Links).
75 G Leslie (Newburgh), H Roulston (Stonehaven), D Bisset (Banchory), D Wilson (Duff House Royal).
76 K Ingram (Deeside), D Randall (Banchory), K Stephen (Northern), P Cornfield (Auchmill), D Nelson (Aboyne), Sean Lawrie (Portlethen)
77 P Morrison (Oldmeldrum), R Brown (Newburgh), B Lumsden (Northern), J Murray (Banchory), D McKay (Caledonian).
78 J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), D H Clark (Duff House Royal), N Stewart (Northern), J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum), D Lawrie (Inchmarlo), M Booth (Newmachar).
79 A Petrie (Oldmeldrum), G Homer (Northern).
80 M Rendall (Stonehaven).
81 H McNaughton (Cruden Bay), M Rogers (Kemnay), N K Parker (Murcar Links), T Collie (Kemnay).
83 M Brown (Newburgh).
84 J Gall (Caledonian).
86 S Davidson (Northern).
88 I Grant (Keith).

PRIZEWINNERS
SCRATCH
62 G Munro (Fraserburgh); 63 J Findlay (Fraserburgh), K Nicol (Fraserburgh); 64 D Brown (Kemnay); 65 I Bratton (Newburgh).
HANDICAP
Class 1
C Duffus (Kemnay) (7) 59; B Harper (Newburgh) (5) 60; L Prouse (Hazlehead) (6) 61; J Scott (Peterculter) (9), J Forrest (Northern) (9) 62.
Class 2
M Smith (Inverurie) (16) 58; P Cornfield (Auchmill) (15), K Stephen (Northern) (14) 61; D Randall (Banchory) (13), B Lumsden (Northern) (14) 63.

TODAY'S TOP SCORECARDS
INVERALLOCHY WINTER PAR 65
OUT: 3-3-4-4-3-4-4-4-4: 33. IN: 3-4-4-3-4-4-4-3-3: 32

GORDON MUNRO 62:
OUT: 3-3-4-4-3-5-4-5-3: 34. IN: 3-5-2-3-3-4-4-2-2: 28
JORDAN FINDLAY 63:
OUT: 4-3-4-4-3-5-4-4-3: 34. IN: 4-3-3-3-4-3-4-2-3: 29
KRIS NICOL 63:
OUT: 3-3-4-3-3-5-4-4-3: 32. IN: 3-4-4-4-4-3-3-3-3: 31
DAVID BROWN 64:
OUT: 5-3-4-4-3-5-4-5-3: 36. IN: 2-4-2-3-4-3-4-3-3: 28
IAN BRATTON 65:
OUT: 3-4-5-4-3-4-4-5-3: 35. IN: 1-4-4-3-4-4-4-3-3: 30
BRIAN HARPER 65:
OUT: 4-3-4-4-3-5-4-5-4: 36. IN: 3-4-3-4-3-3-4-2-3: 29
TEE TIMES FOR OLDMELDRUM
 ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18

08.15 - B Harper - C Cassie - K Watson - G Leslie
08.24 - H Roulston- L Rogers - M Rendall - free
08.33 - J Nicolson - P Cornfield - R Fitzpatrick - free
08.42 - J Dalgarno - C Nelson - Claire Prouse - L Prouse
08.51 - free- free- free- free

09.00 - J Scott - A J fiddes - G Paterson - P Morrison
09.09 - J Duff - R Lamb - M Merchant - E Kennedy
09.18 - R Brown - M Brown - S Davidson - I Bratton
09.27 - M Smith - I Grant - free - free
09.36 - A K Pirie - L Fowler- D Fleming - M Booth
09.45 - A Ross - G Ross - K Ingram - free
09.54 - J Forrest - N Stewart - M Duncan - A Gall

10.03 - J Duncan - G Milne - M Rogers- H McNaughton
10.12 - P McLean - J Findlay - K Nicol - free
10.21 - G Homer - D Leslie - B Lumsden - W Shaw
10.30 - D Lawrie - J Jessiman - A Petrie - free
10.39 – J Murray - D Bisset - D Randall - free
10.48 - D Brown - T Collie - F Bisset - S Larkin
10.57 - W McKenzie- M May- A Graham - D Nelson

11.06 - K Stephen- D Wright - free - free
11.15 - free - free- free- free
11.24 - S Finnie - D McKay - J Gall - N K Parker
11.33 - free- free - free- free
11.42 - free - free - free- free
11.51 – free - free   - free - free

12.00 - D Wilson - B Nicolson - A Graham - R O’Donnell