Carnegie Shield Winners on parade Royal Dornoch.
Sporting immortality in not all easily won but after
recording a record ten Carnegie Shield successes at Royal Dornoch, spanning
almost twenty years, Brora's Jim Miller, having just passed his seventieth, birthday
will step into into the arena once again next week to attempt to win another
Carnegie Shield.
Without re-tracing all of Miller's wins his first in 1965 is
perhaps the one most easily recalled, a memorable final against local player
Willie Skinner which held captive the
huge following for an extra eight holes.
Then there was his last and tenth triumph in 1983 when he beat a young Gary
Bethune in the final. Bethune with the experience gained went on to win two
further Shield finals.
Next week the Shield comes out of the club house trophy
cabinet for the 100th time and the milestone will be marked with
an invitation to all living former
winners to play and be received by the Club Captain at a reception and dinner
on the eve of the qualifying rounds, then prior to this years final, if they do
not survive the match -play rounds until
then will be asked to play a
commemorative three holes in front of an appreciative gallery gathered for the
final.
Those who are not longer competing will also be invited to
line up on the first tee before playing a token three holes. A lot of these
former winners were previously at Dornoch twelve years ago when the centenary
of the gifting of the Carnegie Shield in
1901 to the club was marked. The Centenary Year
winner was David Aitchison, now a club professional in England
The magnificent trophy was commissioned by steel magnate
Andrew Carnegie of Skibo Castle and crafted by the Glasgow silversmiths, James
Weir and Co. of Buchannan Street at a cost of just £120 today's silver value
runs into thousands of pounds. It is a fine example of the silversmith's craft
depicting scenes of local interest, such as Dornoch Cathedral, Carnegie's Skibo
Castle home, and the Dornoch Castle . At its top it has the Scottish Lion Rampart and the
Stars and Stripes flag of America where Carnegie made his vast fortune.
Joining Miller in the Shield qualifying rounds which begin
on Tuesday are thirteen other previous winners, led off at 6.30am by James
Bunch (1997) and Andrew Biggadike(2003/2008)
followed by – Alex MacDonald (2010), John Forbes (Holder) Chris Mailley
(2009), Jo Kellor (2002), Colin Christy (1988/1992/1993) Neil MacDonald(
(1995), Paul Dolton (2011),Stewart Wilson( 1998/1999) Gary Bethune (1989/1991),
Scott Chisholm (2001) Robin Wilson (1984).
Among notable former winners from the early years of the
competition are two fine English exponents of the game, Roger Wethered and
Ernest Holderness, both British Amateur champions and another Amateur Champion
from modern times the 1985 champion at Royal Dornoch, Irishman, Garth McGimpsey
makes his first competitive return to Dornoch next week. Could McGimpsey at 57
join Miller in the Hall of Fame next week?
Overall the field has an entry of 270, 120 of these playing
in the qualifying rounds of Sunday and Monday and the remaining 150 on Tuesday
and Wednesday. Three lots of 32 qualifiers, scratch and two handicap groups
will continue through match-play ties towards Saturday's finals.
Brora Ladies Weekend
Brora Golf Club Ladies Section held two successful
tournaments last weekend, an individual open on Saturday and their popular
mixed foursomes the following day.
The condition of the golf course was excellent for both
events and returning to win her second Nicol Trophy in Saturday's Clynelish
Distillery sponsored individual event and renewing a link with the course
designer, James Braid of Walton of Waton Heath was Walton Heath member Julia
Brooks.
Brooks, an English County player and regular visitor to
Brora won the scratch trophy for a second time, her first five years ago, after
coping better against the strong wind the competitors had to fight against over
the home stretch. Brook's outward half
of 33 began with two birdies but her downwind assisted eagle three on the par
five eighth hole was matched by Northern Counties and Scottish Senior
internationalist Mary Smith (Tain) for both to be out in 33. But the fight against the wind was won by
Brooks who came home in 42 for a winning
75 while Smith struggled to 47 for eighty and second place.
Winner of three trophies, two confined and one open to all,
was local golf professionals wife Shiona Anderson. She still had lots of her 28 handicap strokes
in hand after her outward gross 45 and despite her inward struggle of 52 still
broke the course par with nett 69 to win
the Brora Bowl, the Brora Salver and the confined to Sutherland club members,
Hunter Trophy.
With Helmsdale family connections, Rachel Polson
(Peterculter) improved from a third
place on Saturday to a first on Sunday partnering her father, Alasdair Polson
in the Cairngorm Solar Panels Open Mixed Foursomes competition.
Two handicapper Rachel, a second year student at the Florida
Tech college in the USA and her father
originally from Helmsdale were not the only two couple to get round under
eighty but they won the Scratch Salver over another father and daughter former
winning partnership, Dougal and Jemma Chalmers (Panmure) The Chalmers finished with a birdie two but on the card play off
over the final nine holes their score was bettered by a par, par, finish from
the Polsons.
The only couple to break the par of 70 with a nett 69 was
two other annual August visitors to Brora, Peter and Margaret MacDonald from
Strathaven. Their 69 the A L Mackay Trophy by six shots and in the low handicap
group the R M Street Shield was won by John Turner (Tyneside) and local partner
Susan Smith with the nett score of 73.5. A narrow margin of half a stroke
separated them over Elgin couple Debbie and Gary Bethune.
Labels: Area and County News
