GOLSPIE GREENKEEPER WINS SUTHERLAND COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

By ROBIN WILSON

Played over the Golspie Golf Course last Saturday with a field of 36 that included four previous winners, local head greenkeeper Alex MacDonald emerged as winner of the Sutherland County Championship Cup for the first time.

Although MacDonald chooses to to take Royal Dornoch as his home club and his win means that Royal Dornoch members have won the trophy in all but two of the years in the current century. Sandy Mackenzie, the President of Golspie Golf Club was quick to point out that the first winner of the Cup in 1922 was a Golspie member who and had the same name as this year's winner -  Alex MacDonald.

In his winner's speech MacDonald was keen to thank his staff for the work that they had to put in to allow this years competition go ahead at Golspie following the December storm that all but destroyed tees, greens and fairways.  With his first round sub par score of 66 it proved they were on the right track and heading back to a pre December links course.

MacDonald's first round card of 66 was compiled from four birdies over the first nine holes for thirty-three and a repeat count on the back nine with just the one birdie at the fourteenth hole.  Also breaking the par of 70 was last year's runner-up, Darren Hexley (Golspie) 35&34 and Brora's Liam MacDonald- McLeod 33/36, with stalwart Golspie member, Alistair MacDougall a stroke back and matching par with two consistent halves of 35.

Brora's challenge was spearheaded by their greenkeeper, James MacBeath, 35 & 37 for 72 and the defending champion David Pearson putting Royal Dornoch in the frames with a recovering inward 35 for 74 and his club mates Daniel Holden and John Shepherd a stroke further back .

Into his second round MacDonald began with a bogey six but recovered to be level par after nine holes with birdies at the 5th and 7th holes. After eight holes with four successive birdies from the 4^th to seventh holes Brora's MacDonald-MacLeod had closed the gap on the first round leader and with a par at the 8^th hole required just another par at the 9^th to take the lead.

But Paradise at Golspie has been a pitfall to many over the years and MacDonald also fell into it. His long drive missed the fairway and he then flushed an eight iron over the green. After a penalty drop his lie did not improve and he slumped to a double figure count.

Before becoming a full professional at the end of the season MacDonald-MacLeod will leave the amateur ranks with only a runner's up bronze medal after finishing in second place seven shots behind. For his first silver medal Alex MacDonald returned a second round 71 ending his second round as he began with a bogey in halves of 36 and 35.

Alistair MacDougall's second round 76 for 146 tied him in third place with Darren Hexley (69/77) and Brora's Roddie Cameron, the champion at Golspie in 2004 grabbed fifth place with an improved second round 72 for 148.

Four handicapper MacDougall had the consolation of winning the handicap voucher with nett 139 (66/72) followed up by ex Golspie junior Kristain Sinclair (Royal Dornoch (5) 141 (74/67) and then local Ian Innes (8) 141 (69/72).

Leading scratch totals  -   137 A MacDonald (RDGC) (66/71). 144 L. MacDonald-MacLeod (Brora) (69/75). 146  A MacDougall (Golspie) (70/76), D Hexley (Golspie) (69/77). 148 R S Cameron (Brora) (76/72). 149 J Shepherd (RDGC) (75/74), J G MacBeath (Brora) (72/77) 151K Sinclair (RDGC) (79/72)  152 D Pearson (RDGC) (74/78). 153 R D Murray (RDGC) (79/74), K Matheson (RDGC) (78/75).

Ross shire  Championships at Invergordon

In 1927 the Tain Golf Club was presented with a cup by their then Club President, Capt. JWB Dewar of Harperfield, Lanarkshire with the stipulation that it be played for annually by golfers from all  Ross-shire golf clubs but over over the Tain golf links.

It became known as the County Cup and its first winner was Alex MacTavish of Tain. During the early years of the competition the host club provided the first seven winners. As the championship spread its wings to other venues Strathpeffer Spa members broke the Tain monopoly and in more recent memory Invergordon, Fortrose & Rosemarkie and Muir of Ord provided sporadic winners.  But Tain's thirteen year since its last winner, Jock Urquhart in 2002 was ended last weekend when Invergordon hosted the 2013 championship and Munro Ferries won for the first time.

After having won the North Districts Youth's Championship trophy at Royal Dornoch the previous weekend Lyle McAlpine teed off on his home course as favourite to add another Ross-shire County Cup to his back wins in 2010 and 2011.

Opening with a two under par 67 from his birdie cluttered halves of 33 and 34  McAlpine held a first round two shot lead over his club mate Steven Buchan (35/34) and Muir of Ords's Graham Mellis who came home in 33 for his 69, and by three from Tain's club champion, Ferries (35/35).

The local pair both got away to bad second round starts, McAlpine 3, 6, 6, out of bounds from a bunker recovery at the second hole and a lost ball from his second shot at the next hole, to finish with a poor 74 for the bronze medal while Buchan began his second round 3,6,5. to fall even further down the final rankings.

Playing with McAlpine, and seeing an opportunity arising to claim his first county cup, Ferries shrugged of a pain of being struck by a golf ball on the 9th hole midway through his first round , to play much more aggressively in his second round.  He began his card with par, par, birdie which caught and overtook the two local members and he reached the turn in two under par 33.  He began his last nine holes with a birdie two on the short tenth hole and came home in level par 35 with just one mistake for bogey five at the 17^th hole. Mellis, not so flamboyant,  played steadily for 73 and  eventual third place.

Local member Richard Cassie headed the nett handicap aggregates with 134, one ahead of Strathpeffer Spa's James Gordon and in third place the new champion's elder brother, Billy Ferries on 139.

The hosting club's head greenkeeper, Alex MacDonald, who resides in Embo and is a member of Royal Dornoch won the Sutherland championship at Golspie.

Scratch handicapper MacDonald set up his first County Cup win with an opening 66 and getting no series challenge from the chasers in the second round he cruised to a seven shot win with a second round 71. Receiving the bronze medal as runner up was probationary professional Liam MacDonald -MacLeod from Brora with scores of 69 and 75.

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