Friday, March 16, 2012

GRAHAM GORDON GETS AMATEUR STATUS BACK FOR COMEBACK

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Graham Gordon, one of the best golfers to come out of the North-east, has been reinstated as an amateur after an unsuccessful few years in the pro ranks.
Injuries have dogged the Newmachar player, now 31, since he won the Scottish amateur championship by beating Stuart Wilson 4 and 3 in the final at The Duke’s Course, St Andrews in 2003 and played in the winning GB and I team at Ganton in the Walker Cup that same year.
Gordon, who was also the Doug Sanders European boys champion in the late 1990s, never lacked confidence as an amateur and he retains that self-belief despite the lean years as a tour professional.
He has been given a handicap fo +2.5 on his return to the amateur game. At his peak in 2003, he played off +4.5. Gordon intends playing in all the SGU 72-hole Order of Merit events this year and is looking to work his way back to the top of the amateur tree in Scotland .
“I am a far better player now and I shall be targeting a handicap of +6, subject to keeping fit to play. Whether this is achievable remains to be seen but I have a successful track record around the venues on the 2012 SGU schedule of events,” said Gordon.
The Aberdonian has been down to see his St Andrews-based coach, Jim Farmer, the R and A honorary professional.
“I had a really good session with Jim and he has given me a couple of things to work on. I was picking the club up slightly in the back swing and standing slightly closed. This was aggravating my herniated disc and if I am to stay fit to play this season, I have got to align myself better,” said Gordon.
Gordon was a prolific winner on the Scottish circuit in his amateur days, including the Craigmillar Park Open and Tennant Cup among his victories.
Can he do it all again? Time – and how well his body stands up to the test - will tell in the long run.
North-east District officials, having lost most of their star crop of players to the pro ranks in the past year or so, have welcomed the surprise news that Gordon is back in the amateur ranks and aiming to climb to the top once more.
Said district president Mike Pocock: “Having a player of Graham’s calibre available again for selection is great news on the eve of a new season.”

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