FRASERBURGH PLAYER WINS NE ALLIANCE WITH 65 AT MONTROSE

MIND OVER MATTER, JORDAN FINDLAY 

THINKS HIS PRO CAREER HAS TURNED 

THE CORNER AT LAST
 

A happy smile from Jordan Findlay after his success at Montrose Links today. Picture by Cal Carson     Agency.        

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Former British boys champion - twice a finalist - Jordan Findlay from Fraserburgh won the £100 top prize in today's North-east Alliance on a day of mostly blue skies brilliant sunshine over the Montrose Links. 
The Paul Lawrie Golf Centre player shot a four-under-par 65 over the winter course after starting with five 3s in succession, four of them birdies, at the first, second, fourth, and fifth, where he holed putts raning from six to 30ft.
"The greens were great putting surfaces. In fact the whole course was in extremely good nick," said Findlay, a view endorsed by just about everyone in the field of 80 of whom only the early starters had to contend with rain.
"I am starting to play consistently well and I really think I have turned the corner. I have made five cuts in a row this year in overseason events whereas during the whole of last season I hardly made five cuts!
"I think I am using my brain a lot better than I used to on the golf course."
Findlay had six birdies in all under blue skies - the early starters had to cope with rain. He added the short 12th and par-4 14th to his sub-par listing, getting down in two shots from 80yd range at the latter hole.
"I am going to play two more events in Egypt before I concentrate on getting through the PGA EuroPro Tour Q School. One of the EuroPro Tour events is at Montrose in the season ahead so I fancy that," said Findlay. First prize in EuroPro Tour events is a standard £10,000.
Newmachar +2 amateur John Duff, last week's winner at Insch, was the clubhouse leader for a long time with a 68.
Hazlehead-based professional Colin Nelson and Royal Aberdeen amateur Jim Emslie tied for third place on 69. Nelson had a double bogey 6 at the 11th after going out in 33.
Emslie, who plays off two, diverted from par at only three holes - a birdies at the first and 16th and a bogey at the short eighth. All the rest were pars.
David Law had four birdies over the six holes pan from the second to the seventh - but then the wheels came off. He bogeyed the eighth and then had a triple bogey 7 at the ninth. Later a double bogey 6 at the 14th and another 6 at the long 15th proved it simply was not the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre player's day. David off to the Kenyan Open and the Challenge Tour shortly.
+The additional NE Alliance event during the traditional pro-am foursomes at Murcar Links will be held at Newburgh on Wednesday, March 26. The foursomes are on March 27 and 28.

SCRATCH SCORES
Par 69 Yardage 5,564
65 J Findlay (Paul Lawrie GC) p 32-33
68 J Duff (Newmachar) (am) 33-35.
69 C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) p 33-36, J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) (am) 34-35.
70 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) (am) 35-35, P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC) p 35-35
72 D Law (Paul Lawrie GC) p 35-37, S Kiloh (Paul Lawrie GC) p 33-39, S Finnie (Caledonian) (am) 38-34.
73 Laura Murray (Paul Lawrie GC) p 36-37, K Shanks (Elie) (am) 36-37, D Leslie (Northern) am.
74 D Fleming (Portlethen) (am) 36-38, B Main (Murcar Links) (am) 40-34
75 K Beveridge (Kippie Lodge) p 37-38, C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) p 40-35, A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) (am) 38-37
76 C Lamb (Newmachar) (am) 37-39, B Fyfe (Paul Lawrie GC) p 37-39, J Nicolson (Auchmill) (am) 39-37
77 C Grant (Portlethen), J Forrest (Northern), F Bisset (Banchory)
79 J Hamilton (Murcar Links), P Morrison (Oldmeldrum), I Esslemont (Cruden Bay), D Lane (Deeside), N Chisholm (Kemnay), B Lawrie (Kemnay), D Bisset (Banchory), J Duncan (Newburgh).
80 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), W Shaw (Banchory), P McKenna (Royal Aberdeen), A Gall (Deeside), P Anderson (Deeside).
81 W Skene (Deeside), M Lawrie (Kemnay), D McKay (Caledonian), G Allan (Auchmill)
82 R Masson (Auchmill), H Roulston (Stonehaven), L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), G Milne (Newburgh), M Booth (Kemna
83 B Lumsden (Northern), M Winton (Caledonian), R Duncan (Royal Aberdeen), P Cornfield (Auchmill).
84 J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum), M Merchant (Newmachar).
86 D Nelson (Aboyne), J Borthwick (Craibstone), I Clark (Deeside), P Cheyne (Northern).
88 R Brown (Newburgh), J Scott (Peterculter), A Clark (Newmachar).
89 R MacRae (Newmachar), D Mackay (Newmachar).
90 M Smith (Inverurie), D Townsley (Peterculter), T Collie (Kemnay)
92 N Stewart (Northern
94 M Rogers (Kemnay)
96 M Brown (Newburgh)
101 R Buchan (Northern).
102 D Lawrie (Aboyne)

HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS
Class 1 - L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) (6) 64; J Forrest (Northern) (9) 68; D Fleming (Portlethen) (5) 69; B Lawrie (Kemnay) (bih), D Leslie (Northern) (3) 70.
Class 2 - G Allan (Newmachar) (14) 67; N Chisholm (Kemnay) (11) 68; D Bisset (Banchory) (10) (bih), P Cornfield (Auchmill) (14) (bih), M Booth (Kemnay) (13) 69.


MONTROSE LINKS WINTER PAR 69
OUT: 4 4 3  4 4 4  4 3 4: 34  IN: 4 4 3  4 4 5  3 4 4: 35

JORDAN FINDLAY 65
OUT: 3 3 3  3 3 4  5 4 4: 32  IN: 4 4 2  4 3 5  3 4 4: 33

JOHN DUFF 68
OUT: 4 3 3  4 3 4  3 4 5: 33  IN: 5 4 3  3 4 4  3 5 4: 35

COLIN NELSON 69
OUT: 4 4 3  5 3 4  3 3 4: 33  IN: 3 6 3  3 5 4  4 4 4: 36

JIM EMSLIE 69
OUT: 3 4 3  4 4 4  4 4 4: 34  IN: 4 4 3  4 5 5  2 4 4: 35

PHILIP McLEAN 70
OUT: 3 4 4  3 3 5  3 4 6: 35  IN; 4 5 3  3 4 5  3 4 5: 35

LES FOWLER 70

OUT: 4 4 4  4 4 4  4 3 4: 35  IN: 4 3 3  4 4 4  4 5 4: 35