BRIAN SOUTAR LONE SCOT IN LAST EIGHT OF S AFRICAN CH/SHIP

FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Brian Soutar, of Leven Golf Society, will fly the flag for Scotland in the quarter-finals of the South African Amateur Championship tomorrow.
Four members of the SGU National Men’s Squad reached the last 32 of the prestigious competition, South Africa’s oldest amateur tournament, at Mowbray Golf Club in Cape Town.
But Soutar was the lone Scot to progress to the last eighth as he bids to follow in the spike marks of last year’s winner, Michael Stewart of Troon.
Soutar, pictured, the Scotland international who was part of the all-conquering Fife side of 2011 who lifted a first-ever Moneygate Scottish Area Team Championship crown, ousted on-form compatriot Scott Crichton (Aberdour) in the morning last-32 session by 3 and 2.
Daniel Kay (Dunbar) also progressed to the final 16 after a 4 and 2 success over Jonathan Dixon, while Kirkhill’s Paul Shields – beaten finalist by Stewart 12 months ago – again held his nerve in a tense battle to defeat Desne Van Den Bergh at the 19th.
But Kay’s hopes were ended 3 and 2 by Drew Denyer in the afternoon, while South Africa’s No 1 Brandon Stone made it into the last eight with a 4 and 3 triumph over Shields.
Soutar, though, marched on, defeating Paul De Beer 2 and 1 to set-up a quarter-final clash with South African Louis Taylor early tomorrow morning.
South African Stroke Play champion Haydn Porteous and top English amateur Toby Tree were also among the early departures on Wednesday.

TO READ ALL THE RESULTS

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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

PEPPERELL'S SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT WITH FRILFORD HEATH

NEWS RELEASEFrilford Heath Golf Club, one of Oxfordshire’s finest golf courses, has signed a sponsorship agreement with English golfer Eddie Pepperell.
Pepperell, from nearby Abingdon, turned to the professional ranks of the game in April 2011, following a stellar amateur career which saw him capture numerous titles including the Welsh and Portuguese amateur championships. He also came runner up in such prestigious events as the McGregor and McEvoy trophies, and was a member of the England Elite Squad for many years.
Since turning professional, Eddie has had a number of consistent finishes on various tours, including 3rd at the Open de Normandie and 14th in the Open de Toulouse on the Challenge Tour in 2011. In his 2012 season openers on the Hi5 Tour, Pepperell has finished an impressive 5th and then 2nd in consecutive events.
 He will continue to play in some mini tour events in the early part of the year, before moving on to play a full season on the EuroPro Tour.
The agreement will see Pepperell representing Frilford Heath in an ambassadorial nature as an attached touring pro to the club, as well as displaying the club’s logo on his golf bag throughout the 2012 season.
He will also provide regular blogs to the club through their official website, keeping members and visitors updated with life on tour. Speaking of his new sponsor, Eddie said, ‘I am very honoured to be representing Frilford Heath, a club I know so well. They offer three different courses with excellent facilities so ideal for playing and practice. I am grateful for their support and belief in me, and am very much looking forward to the season ahead’.
Alistair Booth, Executive Director of Frilford Heath was equally as pleased to be announcing the partnership with Eddie, and commented ‘We are delighted that we can continue to support Eddie. From the day that Eddie joined Frilford Heath as a junior he has shown great potential, winning numerous club, regional and national competitions. We know he will achieve the same success in his professional career. To be a part of that is very exciting for Frilford Heath Golf Club’.
About Frilford Heath
Frilford Heath is one of the best in the south of England. Along with Woburn and Wentworth, it is one of very few clubs with three championship standard golf courses - 54 holes of top quality golf. Situated on 600 acres of glorious undulating heathland, just south of Oxford city, Frilford Heath is built on a sandy subsoil. This, combined with the latest equipment and modern maintenance schedules, enables the club to present the courses to the finest playing standards all year round.

TRUMP LINKS TO STAGE ABERDEEN BUSINESS LEAGUE FINAL

NEWS RELEASE
The final of the DF Communications Aberdeen Business Golf League is to be played at Trump International Golf Links - the event’s new sponsors have announced.
Aberdeen-based DF Communications decided to pick up the sponsorship and organisation of the popular league when professional services business, KPMG, stepped down after 15 years of dedicated support.
Now DF Communications, an award-winning mobile phones specialist to small, medium and large businesses, is looking for teams to take part in the event – with the prize being a final shoot-out at the £750m development near Balmedie, north of Aberdeen.
Money raised from this year’s event will go to DF Communications’ chosen charity, Marie Curie Cancer Care. However, as part of their prize, this year’s winners will nominate the charity for 2013.
Several businesses from the energy sector are expected to take part.
Craig Forsyth, sales director at DF Communications, said: “We’re delighted to keep the competition going, and to now have the final played at the Trump International Golf Links really is the icing on the cake.
“We’re absolutely thrilled and would like to thank Trump International Golf Links for its support.
“We still have a few places remaining and would like to hear from businesses in the area that would like to take part.”
The league, played in a four-ball format with around six teams in each division, takes place at various golf courses between April and September. The winner of each division qualifies for the final due to be played at the Trump International Golf Links in mid-September.
Twenty-five businesses have already signed up to take part and many others have registered an interest.
Any businesses requiring further information should contact Craig Forsyth, sales director at DF Communications, at golf@dfcommunications.com