ROBERT MCDONALD WINS NORTH ALLIANCE AT GOLSPIE

By ROBIN WILSON 

Golspie Golf Course hosted the latest North Golf Alliance fixture last Sunday when the field of 45 was headed by Robert MacDonald (pictured)

MacDonald became the third different scratch winner of the season, his break through scratch success beating off two of the season's earlier winners, John Forbes (Muir of Ord) and Gordon Stevens (Wick) plus several contenders for this year's aggregate trophies.

A  plumber in his father's local business MacDonald came to prominence in 2011 when he lifted the Class 1 handicap cup in the Brora Four Day open then playing with a handicap of seven.  This has now reduced to five and last season he was runner up to the Mackintosh Salver winner, Golspie's Darren Hexley.  Last Sunday the Brora golfer was amongst the last to come off the course with a card that beat the host course member Hexley by three shots, this years double winner Forbes by two and Durness winner Stevens by one.

With Winter tees in use the Golspie links was much shorter than its regular 5693 yards but with fairways and greens in excellent condition the low handicappers were quickly into the birdies. MacDonald a birdie two at the 6^th hole and with the appetite two more birdies over the next two holes for a flawless outward card of 33. His only dropped shot came at the first inward hole, “The Lochy” a bogey four as he covered the inward stretch in 34 for 67.

Wick's Gordon Stevens opened with a birdie four but a double bogey six at the eighth hole brought to an end to a run of four successive threes for his outward 34. He matched the inward par of 34 with one bogey, the 12^th and one birdie the 14^th for  a final 68 and second place. Stevens was followed into the clubhouse by the playing partnership of John Forbes and Darren Hexley. Forbes edged third place with his 69 (35/34)  to Hexley's 70 (34/36). 

Also with similar halves to Hexley was Tain's Munro Ferries before roaring in to clinch the category one handicap place was Tain's Raymond Lockie with nett 65 from his nine handicap and just one shot ahead of his club mate George Oliver with nett 66 off 7.  The sub nett seventy scores continued from Tain pair, Alex Gunn and Andrew Watt, and Tarbat's Mike Keay all nett 67.

In category two there was a second Tain member leading the way, a nett 65 from eleven handicapper Alan Sangster  followed up by two players from the strong Durness representation, Alister Corbett, a nett 66, and Frances Keith a nett 67 to tie a similar card from Davie Duncan (Invergordon).

Just one more individual fixture at Reay on December 1^st before the members begin sorting out their teams for the three-ball-better-ball competition at Brora on December 15.

Golspie Results
Scratch
67 R MacDonald (Brora). 
68 G Stevens (Wick). 
69 J Forbes (Muir of Ord). 70 D Hexley (Golspie), M Ferries (Tain). 
Handicap 
Category 1 – R Lockie (Tain) (9) 65. G Oliver (Tain) (7) 66. A Gunn (Tain) (6), A Watt (Tain) (6), M Keay (Tarbat) (7). 
Category 2 – A Sangster (Tain) 65. A Corbett (Durness) 66. D Duncan (Invergordon) and  F Keith (Durness) (12) 67.  

of Brora who claimed his first Alliance scratch win.

MacDonald became the third different scratch winner of the season, his break through scratch success beating off two of the season's earlier winners, John Forbes (Muir of Ord) and Gordon Stevens (Wick) plus several contenders for this year's aggregate trophies. 

A  plumber in his father's local business MacDonald came to prominence in 2011 when he lifted the Class 1 handicap cup in the Brora Four Day open then playing with a handicap of seven.  This has now reduced to five and last season he was runner up to the Mackintosh Salver winner, Golspie's Darren Hexley.  Last Sunday the Brora golfer was amongst the last to come off the course with a card that beat the host course member Hexley by three shots, this years double winner Forbes by two and Durness winner Stevens by one.

With Winter tees in use the Golspie links was much shorter than its regular 5693 yards but with fairways and greens in excellent condition the low handicappers were quickly into the birdies. MacDonald a birdie two at the 6^th hole and with the appetite two more birdies over the next two holes for a flawless outward card of 33. His only dropped shot came at the first inward hole, “The Lochy” a bogey four as he covered the inward stretch in 34 for 67. 

Wick's Gordon Stevens opened with a birdie four but a double bogey six at the eighth hole brought to an end to a run of four successive threes for his outward 34. He matched the inward par of 34 with one bogey, the 12^th and one birdie the 14^th for  a final 68 and second place. 

Stevens was followed into the clubhouse by the playing partnership of John Forbes and Darren Hexley. Forbes edged third place with his 69 (35/34)  to Hexley's 70 (34/36). 

Also with similar halves to Hexley was Tain's Munro Ferries before roaring in to clinch the category one handicap place was Tain's Raymond Lockie with nett 65 from his nine handicap and just one shot ahead of his club mate George Oliver with nett 66 off 7.  The sub nett seventy scores continued from Tain pair, Alex Gunn and Andrew Watt, and Tarbat's Mike Keay all nett 67. 

In category two there was a second Tain member leading the way, a nett 65 from eleven handicapper Alan Sangster  followed up by two players from the strong Durness representation, Alister Corbett, a nett 66, and Frances Keith a nett 67 to tie a similar card from Davie Duncan (Invergordon).

Just one more individual fixture at Reay on December 1^st before the members begin sorting out their teams for the three-ball-better-ball competition at Brora on December 15.

Golspie Results

Scratch

67 R MacDonald (Brora). 

68 G Stevens (Wick). 

69 J Forbes (Muir of Ord). 

70 D Hexley (Golspie), M Ferries (Tain). 

Handicap 

Category 1 – R Lockie (Tain) (9) 65. G Oliver (Tain) (7) 66. A Gunn (Tain) (6), A Watt (Tain) (6), M Keay (Tarbat) (7). 

Category 2 – A Sangster (Tain) 65. A Corbett (Durness) 66. D Duncan (Invergordon) and  F Keith (Durness) (12) 67.