FIRST CAITHNESS-BRED PLAYER TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

                                           DOUGIE THORBURN .. North District champion
                                                        Picture by Robin Wilson

NORTH DISTRICT TITLE AT LOSSIE

FOR THURSO'S DOUGIE THORBURN

By ROBIN WILSON  

It can be safely said that Dougie Thorburn from Thurso has become the first Caithness-produced golfer to win the the North District Association Cup after beating the rugged elements and quality championship field at Lossiemouth on Sunday.

In 1935 the name of W Semple (Wick) is engraved on the cup but Semple was not a loca. He was  drawn to the town to work in the herring industry when Wick was an important fishing port. 

Semple had learned his golf before taking up membership of Wick Golf Club, founded in 1870, and the oldest club in the North, where he became a prestigious local winner .

Just turning 37 last week, Thorburn began his golf at Thurso, rising to become his home county's lowest handicap golfer. 
After winning two Caithness county titles he sought to make his mark south of the Ord of Caithness and made Tain his home club to give Tain their first North champion.  

A selection for the North team followed but he  was overlooked for the recent Scottish area team championship. Thorburn's well deserved success at Moray Golf Club on Sunday should bring him back into the selectors' favour, especially as he was partnering three time champion Bryan Fotheringham and left him trailing by 10 shots.

His northern upbringing has acclimatised Thorburn to wet and windy conditions, which, on Sunday, by his estimation added two and sometimes three clubs to approach shots.
But he played steadily through all his 36 holes and maintained a sharp short game. 

Two over par for each of his first two halves (37-38), he recorded a first-round 75 which matched the +4 CSS of 75. He  broke the afternoon CSS of 75 by four with a one birdie and one bogey outward nine holes of 35, then reeled off nine inward half par figures for 36 home and a par-matching 71 to win by a shot from Fortrose and Rosemarkie's Alan Cameron.

From from beginning of the season Cameron has been the in-form North player, winning open events at four different courses.
At Lossie, he opened with a 72 and was in a good position to lift his first championship before disaster struck on the eighth and ninth holes of his second round.

He lost a ball at each. A stroke was recovered with birdie on the 10^th but given back when he three-putted the 11^th green for the second time before parring in for the bronze medal with 75  for 147.

Another of Inverness's growing band of junior talent won the Murray Watt Youths' Trophy and silver medal. Three-handicapper Jonathon Keith (18), pictured right, with cards of 77 and 75 for 152, beat off the triple challenge of Jordan Milne (Elgin), Ross Proctor (Forres) and Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) who all finished one stroke back.   

Milne pulled himself into the triple second place tie with the only sub-par card of the day, a one-under 70 in round two, while another Inverness youth, Euan Gill, had the leading net return of 149 off four of a handicap.     

PRIZEWINNERS

Scratch

Par 142 (2x71) CSS 75 75 

146 Douglas Thorburn (Tain) 75 71 (Cup, Silver Medal, £200 voucher).

147 Allan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 72 75 (Bronze Medal, £130 voucher).

149 Jeff Wright (Forres) 72 77 (£100 voucher)

150 William Barron (Nairn Dunbar) 74 76 (£70 voucher)

151 Lewis Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 76 75 (£50 voucher), Ewan Forbes (Inverness) 75 76 (£40 voucher), John Forbes (Inverness) 73 78 (£30 voucher).

152 Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) 77 75 (£20 voucher).

BEST OF OTHER SCORES:

153 Malcolm MacLeman (Moray) 76 77, Stuart Tatters (Moray) 80 73

154 Bryan Fotheringham (Inverness) 74 80, Andrew Burgess (The Nairn) 76 78
155 Sean Burgess (The Nairn) 75 80

156 Darren Leith (Garmouth and Kingston) 80 76, David Joel (Inverness) 76 80, Mike MacDonald (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 76 80, Brent MacLeman (Moray) 79 77
157 Chris Stuart (Moray) 75 82
158 Robert Sheils (Moray) 78 80
159 Marc Dingwall (Moray) 76 83
160 Scott Green (Meldrum House) 79 81
161 Lyle McAlpine (Royal Dornoch) 77 84, Ian Geddes (Moray) 80 81
162 Steven Rendall (Orkney) 80 82, Steven Leith (Moray) 84 78

UNDER-21 YOUTHS

Scratch

152 Jonathon Keith (Inverness) 77 75 (Murray Watt Trophy, Silver medal, £75 voucher).

153 Jordan Milne (Elgin) 83 70 (Bronze medal, £50 voucher), Ross Proctor (Forres) 78 75 (£30 voucher), Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) 72 81 (£20 voucher)

Handicap

149  Euan Gill (Inverness) (3) 73 76 (£50 voucher)

150 Brent MacLeman (Moray) (3) 76 74 (£40 voucher).

151 Isaac Alexander (Moray) (3) 74 77 (£30 voucher).