CRAIL COURSE RECORD BEATEN THREE TIMES IN LAST-DAY DRAMA

NICK MACANDREW BEATS JAMIE 

SAVAGE IN BATTLE TROPHY PLAY-OFF

REPORT BY DAVID ROY and COLIN FARQUHARSON
Royal Aberdeen's Nick Macandrew scored his first SGU 72-hole Order of Merit tournament victory in an exciting finish to the Battle Trophy over the Craighead Links of Crail Golf Society, Fife today.

Macandrew beat Cawder's Jamie Savage at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off after they had tied on two-under 286 at the end of the regulation four rounds.
Macandrew put himself in the title picture with an impressive closing round of six-under-par 66 which included eight birdies.
Bogeys at the last two holes prevented the Aberdonian from achieving an outright win without the need for a nail-biting play-off.

Savage got into the play-off with a final six-birdie round of 68. He had a solid back nine, birdieing the 11th, 15th and 16th but bogeys at the fourth, fifth and 14th meant the difference between winning and finishing a very close second.

The Craighead course record of 68 was equalled in the first round (by last year's winner Graeme Robertson) and then beaten three times on the second day ... by Macandrew (66), Daniel Young (65) and then Jack McDonald (63).
A total of 11 players scored under par for the fourth round, taking advantage of the relative stillness of the day and the truly excellent condition of the course.

So Macandrew was the ultimate winner but, in many ways, the Star on Sunday was Stirling student Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie).
He lowered the record of 65 set a little earlier by Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) by two shots with a brilliant 63 which may stand for many years as the official course record.
His flawless round contained nine birdies. McDonald and Blairgowrie's Scottish boys champion Bradley Neil tied for fourth place on 288. Neil finished with a par-matching 72 which did not include enough birdies to compensate for the bogeys.

Defending champion, Graeme Robertson of Glenbervie did not drop a single shot for his last round 68. He finished third on 287, only one shot outside making it a three-way play-off - a highly creditable title defence.
   Third-round leader, Matthew Clark of Kilmacolm, finished his day in the most challenging conditions, with a thick haar drifting in off the North Sea, making visibility difficult. His fourth round score of 74 dropped him to 6^th place.

A measure of the consistency of the players on the last day can be illustrated by the unchanged CSS: 74 for both rounds 3 and 4.

BATTLE TROPHY
Crail Golf Society, Fife
Craighead Links

FINAL  TOTALS 
Par 288 (4x72) CSS 76, 77 (reduction only), 74, 74

286 Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 73 75 72 66, Jamie Savage (Cawder) 74 73 71 68 (Macandrew won play-off at second extra hole)
287 Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 68 77 74 68
288 Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) 75 79 71 63, Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) 70 75 71 72 
289 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 73 69 73 74.
291 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 74 77 65 75      
292 William Bowe (Workington) 75 77 68 72
293 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 74 75 72 72, Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 72 75 70 76.
294 Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 77 78 71 68.
296 Jeff Wright (Forres) 73 77 75 71
297 Alasdair McDougall (Elderslie) 71 81 75 70, Michael Daily (Erskine) 70 80 74 73, Andrew Wilson (Darlington) 71 77 76 73, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 77 74 72 74
298 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 76 78 74 70
299 Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton) 76 79 75 69, Scott Gibson (Southerness) 75 78 72 74, Greig Marchbank (Thornhill) 76 69 77 77.
300 Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh) 75 76 74 75
301 Connor Syme (Dumfries and Co) 75 78 74 74
303 Paul Gault jun (Westerwood) 79 79 74 71, Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 77 75 80 71, C D Hutcheon (Monifieth) 76 78 76 73.
306 Alex Moir (Thornton) 71 82 81 72
307 Malcolm Pennycott (Whiting Bay) 76 78 77 76
308 Ryan White (Leven) 72 80 78 78
309 Ryan Campbell (Falkirk) 77 76 78 78, John Duff (Newmachar) 78 77 75 79.
310 Craig Howie (Peebles) 77 81 77 75, Pault Moultrie (Royal Troon) 75 82 77 76, Andrew Davidson (Charleton) 80 78 75 77
311 Steven Aitken (Leven) 75 82 77 77, David Oldham (Crail) 76 79 77 79
312 Campbell Donaldson (Downfield) 77 80 80 75, Greg Forrester (Lundin) 79 76 79 78
313 Benn McLeod (Musselburgh) 76 77 76 84
314 Fraser Carr (Crail) 75 82 77 80
316 Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) 75 77 83 81
317 Alisdair Simpson (North Berwick) 78 79 84 76

MISSED THE CUT
159 W Bremner 77 82, O Roberts 81 78.
160 A J Sutherland 79 81, A Culverwell 78 82
161 C Neil 84 77, A Blaney 84 77, J Lamb 82 79, G Robertson 79 82, M Howard 76 85.
162 E Shannly 81 81, J A Wilson 80 82, S Rennie 79 83, D Mitchell jun 75 87. 
163 C MacLean 86 77, C Telfer 84 79, M Cox 80 83,
J Mathers 79 84, P Reilly 79 84.
164 C Baird 81 83.
165 T Watson 85 80
166 M Bacigalupo 81 85.
167 C Deerness 85 82, A Carrick 84 83
168 M Hislop 84 84
170 J Lamb 83 70

 Disqualified: T J Hogg 78 80.

No Returns:
A Dick 80 NR
J Pryde 81 NR
T Morrison 84 NR