WIND-TAMER NELSON ONLY MAN TO BETTER PAR AT FRASERBURGH ALLIANCE FIXTURE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Colin Nelson, the PGA professional who runs the golf shop adjacent to Hazlehead Golf Club, earned £150 for his first win on the North-east Golfers' Alliance 2013-2014 circuit at windy Fraserburgh Golf Club today.
The 69 by Nelson, pictured, was the only score in a field of 101 to better the par of 70. 
Nelson birdied the first, the second, the sixth and the ninth, dropping only one shot, at the eight, in a three-under-par outward half of 32.
He chalked up his fifth and six birdies at the 10th and 11th, which was just as well as he dropped four shots to par over the closing holes - a double bogey 5 at the short 17th and bogeys at the 15th and 16th for a two-over-par inward half of 37.
Last week's amateur winner at the Montrose fixture, Newmachar's John Duff, shared second place on 70 with a former Fraserburgh amateur Kris Nicol who is now a professional in the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre stable. 
Duff and Nicol also found the inward half very testing in the wind. Duff was level par for the last seven holes and Nicol one over par for the same stretch despite a 2 at the short 17th.
Oldmelrum's A Petrie declared a two-shot penalty on himself after forgetting to play a shot off a mandatory mat. That pushed his gross score up from 78 to 80 and his honesty cost him a handicap prize.
One player who did figure on the prize list - at the first attempt! - was Jack Booth of Cruden Bay. Making his first appearance on the NE Alliance circuit, Jack had a 74 and, with a handicap deduction of four shots, he won a prize with a net 70.
I wonder if this Jack Booth is related to the late Jack Booth who was the top amateur in North-east golf in the pre-television days when the Aberdeen Links championship final would draw hundreds - maybe as many as a thousand or two - spectators.
Next Wednesday's fixture at Peterhead is the last before the December break. The second half of the season starts at Inverallochy on January 8.
In case you've forgotten the venues for the second half, they are:
January: 8 Inverallochy. 15 Murcar Links. 22 Fraserburgh. 29 Craibstone.
February: 5 Peterhead. 12 Duff House Royal. 19 Insch. 26 Montrose.
March: 5 Spey Bay. 12 Buckpool (championship first round). 19 Portlethen (championship second round). 27-28 Murcar Links (foursomes match-play.-+


 ALL THE SCRATCH SCORES AT FRASERBURGH TODAY
  Par 70 (35-35)
69 C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) 32-37.
70 John Duff (Newmachar) 35-35, K Nicol (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 34-36.
71 A J Smith (Turriff) 35-36, L Vannet (Carnoustie Links) 35-36, J Findlay (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 35-36, P McLean (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre).
72 Sean Lawrie (Portlethen)
73 J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen), C Lamb (Newmachar), B Nicolson (Auchmill).
74 G Joss (Royal Aberdeen), N Young (Insch), S Finnie (Caledonian), B Fyfe (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), J Booth (Cruden Bay).
75 Laura Murray (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), J Duncan (Newburgh), D Leslie (Northern), A K Pirie (Hazlehead), F Bisset (Banchory).
76 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), G Paterson (Northern), C Dempster (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen), I Taylor (Stonehaven), J Nicolson (Auchmill), C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), K Duncan (Cruden Bay).
77 M Forster (Cruden Bay), C Grant (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre).
78 A Campbell (Murcar Links), S Kiloh (Portlethen), M Lawrie (Kemnay).
79 M Merchant (Newmachar), D Fleming (Portlethen), S Mackie (Auchmill).
80 K Beveridge (Kippie Lodge), J Hamilton (Murcar Links), M Booth (Kemnay), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum) (+includes two-stroke penalty).
81 A Gall (Deeside), M Duncan (Murcar Links)
82 B Harper (Newburgh), P Cornfield (Auchmill), J Scott (Peterculter), L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), G Milne (Newburgh), P Anderson (Deeside), W Shaw (Banchory).
83 C Hannon (Which Club?), K Zeynalov (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre), B Lawrie (Kemnay), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), Steve Lawrie (Portlethen).
84 T Collie (Kemnay), J Murray (Banchory), D McKay (Caledonian), D Nelson (Aboyne).
85 H McNaughton (Cruden Bay).
86 R Masson (Auchmill), S Thomson (Caledonian), D Bisset (Banchory), J Borthwick (Craibstone).
87 D Lane (Deeside), P Cheyne (Northern), P Walker (Cruden Bay), D Randall (Banchory).
88 C Redman (Inchmarlo)
89 M Winton (Caledonian), C Duncan (Auchmill).
91 D Lawrie (Aboyne), N Stewart (Northern).
92 D Wright (Northern), M Smith (Inverurie)
93 G Allan (Which Club?), P Leech (Oldmeldrum).
95 R Brown (Newburgh)
97 M Brown (Newburgh), G Homer (Northern).
98 S Davidson (Northern)
101 I Grant (Fyvie)
108 G McDonald (Auchmill) 


HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS
Class 1 - A J Smith (Turriff) (4) 67; M Forster (Cruden Bay) (8) 69; J Booth (Cruden Bay) (4) (bih), C Cassie (Nigg Bay) (6) (bih), J Duncan (Newburgh) (5) (bih) 70.
Class 2 -  M Booth (Kemnay) (13) 67; P Cornfield (Auchmill) (14) 68; L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) (11) (bih), P Anderson (Deeside) (11) 71; McNaughton (Cruden Bay) (13) 72 (bih).

FRASERBURGH WINTER PAR 70
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-5-3-4-4 = 35
    IN: 4-4-4-4-3-5-4-3-4 = 35

BEST CARDS
COLIN NELSON 69
OUT: 3-3-4-4-3-4-3-5-3 = 32  
    IN: 3-3-4-4-3-6-5-5-4 = 37
KRIS NICOL 70       
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-4-3-5-3 = 34.    
    IN: 4-4-4-5-3-5-5-2-4 = 36
JOHN DUFF 70
OUT: 4-4-4-4-3-4-3-5-4 = 35
    IN: 5-3-4-4-3-5-4-3-4 = 35
PHILIP McLEAN 71
OUT: 4-4-3-3-4-4-4-4-4 = 34
    IN: 3-4-5-4-3-5-5-4-4 = 37
JORDAN FINDLAY 71
OUT: 4-4-6-4-2-4-3-4-4 = 35
    IN: 4-4-4-3-4-4-4-4-5 = 36
LEE VANNET 71
OUT: 4-5-4-4-3-5-3-4-3 = 35
    IN: 4-3-5-4-4-5-3-3-5 = 36



Please E-mail Colin Farquharson at Colin@scottishgolfview.com if there is no home club after your name or the home club listed is incorrect for you in the list of scratch scores.