CAMPBELL HEADS NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE FIELD AT MONTROSE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Deeside’s Andrew Campbell won the scratch £100 voucher at today’s North-east Alliance golf competition at Montrose Links despite a triple bogey 7 where he needed two shots to get out of bunker at the sixth.

Campbell’s one-under-par 69 to head a field of 85 competitors was studded with birdies, seven of them in all – the third, fourth, eighth, 11th, 12th, 14th and 18th in halves of 37 (two over par) and 32 (three under).

Driving with a three-wood for accuracy rather than length, Campbell, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, had a good day with his putter, a conventional one.

(Ian “belly-putter” Bratton had a 75 this week following last week’s success at Murcar Links).

Campbell holed from 20ft for a 2 at the 12th, from 15ft at the third and from 10ft at the last. Otherwise he knocked his approach shots in fairly close to the flag.

Five players were joint runners-up on 70 – Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh), Donald Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen), Alan Gall (Deeside)  good going for a six-handicapper!, John Duff (Newmachar) and pro Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links).

Munro, who had a very costly double-bogey 6 at the 18th, had the best outward half of the day (32).

Willie McKenzie, the pro at Berryhill Driving Range, maintains he has an 8 on his card every time he plays in the Alliance, no matter where. He did it again today but still managed to get it round in 74.

Mind over matter, Willie: You will not have an 8 on your card at Duff House Royal next Wednesday. Say after me: I will not have an 8 .....

All the competitors - even the guy who four-putted twice - agreed the Montrose Links greens were in excellent condition for any time of the year, let alone the end of February. Well done, the greenstaff!

+Little bit of a slow play problem very near the end. We won't name and shame but the names have been noted, so speed it up for Duff House Royal next week, please.
+Date for your diary. The first competition of the 2012-2013 NE Alliance season will be held on Wednesday, September 5.

CONGRATULATIONS to Joel Hopwood who joined the professional staff at Royal Aberdeen as long ago as December, he says, and now doesn't have to come all the way down from the Skibo Castle course near Dornoch to play in North-east Alliance competitions.
"I'm thoroughly enjoying being part of the team at a club of Royal Aberdeen's history, traditions and course quality. The members have been more than welcoming and encouraging and I can't wait for the new season to start," said Joel in an E-mail to Scottishgolfview.com



LEADING SCRATCH SCORES AT MONTROSE LINKS TODAY
Par 70
69 A Campbell (Deeside) 37-32
70 G Milne (Fraserburgh) 32-38, J Duff (Newmachar) 33-37, T Mathieson (Murcar Links) 36-34, D Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 34-36, A Gall (Deeside) 34-36
71 G Paterson (Northern), C Brown (Kemnay).
72 A Smith (Turriff), C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop), J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen), S Larkin (Royal Aberdeen).
73 A Ross (Deeside), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon).
74 E Kennedy (Newmachar), M May (Cruden Bay), W McKenzie (Berryhill DR), R McKen (Newburgh).
75 L Prouse (Hazlehead), G Nethercott (Deeside), I Bratton (Newburgh), D Leslie (Northern), S Finnie (Caledonian).
76 B Harper (Newburgh), R Lamb (Newmachar), M Merchant (Newmachar), D Fleming (Portlethen), D Brown (Kemnay), Laura Murray (Alford), J Nicolson (Auchmill).
77 John Forrest (Murcar Links), D Bisset (Banchory), C Carnegie (Kemnay).
78 J Duncan (Newburgh), M Booth (Kemnay), D McKay (Caledonian), D Wilson (Duff House Royal).
79 H Roulston (Stonehaven), P Murray (Kemnay).
80 T Collie (Kemnay).
81 Claire Prouse (Hazlehead), N K Parker (Murcar Links).
82 Jackie Forrest (Northern), S Davidson (Northern), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum), C Duffus (Kemnay), J Borthwick (Craibstone), I Esslemont (Cruden Bay).
83 L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), D Mackay (Newmachar), M Lawrie (Kemnay).
84 H McNaughton (Cruden Bay), M Rendall (Stonehaven), J Dalgarno (Hazlehead), C Cassie (Nigg Bay), P Cheyne (Northern).
85 D Wright (Northern), K Stephen (Northern).
86 F Bisset (Banchory), B Lumsden (Northern), G Milne (Newburgh), J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum), J Scott (Peterculter), J Murray (Banchory), D Nelson (Aboyne).
87 A Graham (Aboyne).
88 R Brown (Newburgh), N Chisholm (Kemnay), P Cornfield (Auchmill).
89 W Shaw (Banchory), I Grant (Keith), Peter Guthrie (Peterculter).
91 D Bingham Newburgh).
92 M Brown (Newburgh), M Smith (Inverurie), J Gall (Caledonian).
94 P Leech (Oldmeldrum).

HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS
Class 1 – A Gall (Deeside) (6) 64; M May (Cruden Bay) (6), A Smith (Turriff) (4) 68; L Prouse (Hazlehead) (6), M Merchant (Newmachar) (7) 69.
Class 2 – M Booth (Kemnay) (11) 67; N K Parker (12), S Davidson (Northern) (13), T Collie (Kemnay) (11), 69; M Rendall (Stonehaven) (14) 70.

MONTROSE LINKS WINTER SCORECARD PAR 70
OUT: 4-4-3-4-4-4-4-4-4: 35
   IN:  4-4-3-4-4-5-3-4-4: 35

ANDREW CAMPBELL 69
OUT: 5-4-3-3-3-7-4-3-5: 37
   IN:  4-4-2-3-4-4-4-4-3: 32

DONALD MACANDREW 70
OUT: 5-4-3-3-3-6-3-3-4: 34
   IN: 3-4-4-4-5-4-3-4-5: 36

GORDON MUNRO 70
OUT: 3-4-2-3-4-5-4-3-4: 32
   IN: 4-4-3-3-5-6-3-4-6: 38

ALAN GALL 70
OUT: 4-4-2-4-3-4-5-4-4: 34
   IN: 4-4-3-5-4-5-3-4-4: 36

JOHN DUFF 70
OUT: 4-4-2-3-4-5-3-4-4: 33
   IN: 3-5-3-5-4-4-5-4-4: 37

TERRY MATHIESON 70
OUT: 5-4-3-3-3-3-5-4-6: 36
   IN: 4-4-3-4-4-4-3-5-3: 34