JAMES BYRNE WINS NORTHERN OPEN BY FIVE STROKES

The first of many? James Byrne with the Northern Open championship trophy after his first success as a professional. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Rookie James Byrne from Banchory maintained an overnight lead of five strokes to score his first win as a professional in the Aberdeen Asset Management Northern Open championship at Meldrum House Golf Club today.
Byrne won the £4,000 prize and the prestigious title, first contested in the early 1930s, with a 12-under-par total of 268, made up of rounds of 66, 66, 66 and 70 over the par-70 parkland course at Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire.
The 23-year-old strapping six-footer won by five shots from two men on 273 - defending champion, David Law (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), winner of the title as an amateur 12 months go, and David Orr (Mearns Castle Golf Academy).
Law shot 73, 68, 63 and 69. Orr was the only man in the field to break 70 in each round - 69, 69, 66 and 69.
They each earned £2,600
"I had a shaky patch in the middle but was able to come through that, steady myself up and par my way in," said Byrne, who turned pro after helping GB and I win the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen last September.
"I've grown up in the North-east so the Northern Open means a lot to me, apart from being my first win. It's a prestigious title in Scottish terms.
"A win is a win wherever it is but making my first pro win in my own part of the country makes it special for me.
"I was a bit nervous early on because it's a long time since I led in a tournament ... I think way back to 2009 as an amateur."
Byrne, who flies out tomorrow to resume his campaign on the Asian Tour in Malaysia, said he hopes that the first win as a pro will breed more confidence which in turn would make it a bit easier to get win No 2. 
That he will build on the Northern Open triumph is almost a foregone conclusion. He is too good a player not to make the highest grade.
"I am playing a couple of events on the Asian Tour and then flying back to play in the European Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 event at Frilford Heath," said Byrne, who played for four years on the US college golf circuit as a student at Arizona State University and was beaten finalist in the 2010 British amateur championship at Muirfield.
James, who received his first golf lesson from coach Andrew Locke at Inchmarlo (Andrew has now moved his base to the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre),  was also the Scottish boys' open stroke-play champion at Cardrona in 2007.
For whatever reason, James never got up the same full head of steam on the final day as he had in reeling off three four-under-par 66s to surge five shots clear of the field after 54 holes.
His outward half of one-over-par 36 was a mixed bag of birdies (first, fourth and eighth), bogeys (short third and short sixth) and a three-putt double bogey 6 at the ninth.
Banchory townmate Greig Hutcheon, Northern Open winner two years ago, got to within two shots of the leader when he birdied the long 11th just as Byrne was running up that  6 at the ninth.
That was the closest any of the chasing pack got to Byrne.
Hutcheon admitted to "a comedy of errors" down the inward half when, on song, he might have put pressure on Byrne.
"I bogeyed the 14th and the 16th, birdied the 17th and then, for the second day in a row, bogeyed the short 18th," said Hutcheon who finished with a 69 for joint fourth place on 274 alongside Welshman Gareth Wright.
Recent winner of the Glenmuir PGA championship, West Linton's Wright signed off with a 66 in which his inward half of 30 was the lowest by anyone over the four days.
Hutcheon and Wright both earned £1,400.
David Law made a stout defence of the title and he would have finished closer to the winner and playing partner had he not three-putted the 12th and missed a tiddler at the 13th.
"But I didnt let my head go down. I holed a 30ft putt for a birdie at 15th and from 6ft for another birdie at the 17th so I am taking away a lot of confidence from my performance," said 21-year-old Law. 
And so he should. Three national titles as an amateur give him the pedigree of a young man who will prosper if he can make it up to the European Tour.
"Rounds two and three were as well as I have played anywhere all year," added the Aberdonian who acknowledged the help given to him in the Northern Open for the second year in a row by his caddie, Nick Macandrew, the +2 member at Royal Aberdeen.

 Bookless Cup winner Fraser McKenna, Hugh Little of sponsors Aberdeen Asset Management, and Northern Open champion James Byrne. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

The Bookless Cup as the leading amateur went to Fraser McKenna, 21, from the Balmore club near Glasgow. McKenna, winner of two SGU Order of Merit 72-hole events this season, finished joint 12th overall on 280 with scores of 70, 71, 70 and 69.
Six-footer McKenna has no lofty ideas about his golfing future.
"That's my last tournament of the season. I might try the Tour School qualifying process at the end of next season," he said.
McKenna finished one shot ahead of fellow amateurs Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) and Scott Crichton (Aberdour).
Dunton closed with a 71 for 281, Crichton with a 68.
The starting field of 144 included 11 invited amateurs, most of them of Scotland international class.
Down through the years, the Northern Open has always had an amateur element in its field - European Tour player George Murray won the Bookless Cup before he turned pro - but to invite amateurs of quality has been an enterprising move by the PGA of Scotland. 

FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) Yardage 6,700
268 J Byrne (Banchory) 66 66 66 70 (£4,000)
273 D Orr (Mearns Castle) 69 69 66 69, D Law (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 73 68 63 69 (£2,600 each)
274 G Wright (West Linton) 70 69 69 66, G Hutcheon (Banchory) 66 68 71 69 (£1,400 each)
275 N Fenwick (Dunbar) 69 67 71 68 (£1,000)
276 P McKechnie (Braid Hills) 69 68 70 69 (£900)
277 D Patrick (Elie Sports Centre) 69 71 69 71 (£800)
278 J Lomas (unatt) 66 74 70 68 (£700)
279 S Henderson (Kings Links) 72 71 70 66, Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 65 71 68 75 (£587.50 each).
280 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 71 70 72 67, J McGhee (Duddingston) 69 71 70 70, G McBain (Gamola Golf) 69 69 69 73 (£433.33 each), F McKenna (Balmore) (am) 70 71 70 69 (Bookless Cup winner as leading amateur).
281 G Fox (Rowallan Castle) 70 67 74 70, K Hutton (Downfield) 72 66 73 70, C Kelly (Cawder) 69 71 69 72 (£363.33 each), S Crichton (Aberdour) (am) 69 71 73 68, A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) (am) 73 66 71 71
282 C Currie (Caldwell) 73 71 69 69 (£340), P Shields (Kirkhill) (am) 73 67 70 72, G Marchbank (Dumfries and Co) (am) 71 72 65 74
285 R Arnott (Bishopbriggs) 73 71 73 68, A Mackenzie (Renaissance Club) 70 71 73 71, M Stewart (Troon Welbeck) 71 73 68 73, M Kerr (unatt) 70 70 70 75 (£315 each)
286 S Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 70 74 72  70, P Walker (Ballumbie Castle) 70 69 74 73
287 R Cameron (Saltire Energy) 73 69 75 70, I Brown (Newent) 73 71 72 71, I Colquhoun (Dundonald Links) 73 70 72 72
288 M King (Kingsfield) 73 67 73 75, S Lamb (Macdonald Cardrona) 72 70 71 75
289 A Crerar (Panmure) 68 74 75 72
290 F Moore (Glenbervie) (am) 70 73  74 73, M Rae (Alyth) 72 70 73 75
292 R Dixon (Renaissance) 70 73 74 75, S Herald (Mearns Castle) 72 71 74 75
293 C Robinson (Dumfries and Galloway) 74 69 77 73, J Sharp (Carrick on Loch Lomond) 67 75 76 75
297 J Cliff (Murrayfield) 74 69 73 81