MELDRUM HOUSE MAN FINISHES 17 UNDER PAR AFTER A 64

           Chris Robb with the Cameron Corbett Vase. Picture by courtesy of Neal Stewart.

CHRIS ROBB FOLLOWS UP EAST VICTORY WITH FOUR-SHOT WIN 

AT HAGGS CASTLE 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Chris Robb, winner of the East of Scotland Open by eight strokes seven days earlier, continued his brilliant form at Haggs Castle GC over the weekend to win a second SGU 72-hole Order of Merit event, the prestigious Cameron Corbett Vase.

The 23-year-old Banchory man, a member at Meldrum House Golf Club, Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire, surged past the faltering halfway leader, Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) with an eight-under par 64 - only one shot outside the amateur course record - to go three shots clear of the field.

His 64 included nine birdies with only one blemish, a bogey at the 12th.

Robb, whose earlier rounds were 71 and 68, added a final round of 68 for an impressive, professional- standard 17-under-par aggregate of 271 over a quality course for victory by four shots from Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) who had third and fourth rounds of 68 and 69 for a total of 275.
Greig Marchbank (Thornhill) started slowly with rounds of 73 and 72 on Saturday but he produced his Sunday best with scores of 68 and 65 to finish third on 278

Robb, who won the Scottish schoolboys championship at Inchmarlo in his home town of Banchory, before he went off for four years to  the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and played the US college golf circuit with some success.

He won the 72-hole North-east District Open at Newmachar in August 2012 during his summer holidays back home. He has played for Scotland at boys and schoolboys level but not at men's international level - yet!

Robb's plan now is to continue playing amateur golf for the rest of the season and then to turn pro.

"I am definitely a better player now after four years playing in US college golf tournaments. I hope to make it to the European Tour Qualifying School with perhaps the Asian and Sunshine Tours other options," said Robb

Macandrew, winner of the Battle Trophy 72-hole Order of Merit event at Crail in April and five shots clear of the field at Haggs Castle after rounds of 65 and 69, subsided to Sunday scores of 77 and 76 for a total of one-under-par 287. He had a triple bogey at the 14th in his third round.
Surprise non-qualifier for the Sunday rounds was Dollar's Scott Borrowman.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) CSS 73 72 72 72
271 Chris Robb (Meldrum House) 71 68 64 68.
275 Fraser Moore (Glenbervie)  68 72 66 69
278 Greig Marchbank (Thornhill) 73 72 68 65
280 Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 71 68 68 73, Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 75 69 69 67, Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) 72 68 73 67.
281 Alan Sutherland (Ladybank) 71 71 68 71
282 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 70 72 68 72
283 Michael Bacigalupo (Longniddry) 72 71 69 71, Kyle Godsman (Moray) 69 74 70 70, Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 72 70 72 69
284 Craig Chalmers (Cawder) 70 69 72 73
285 Barry J Hume (Haggs Castle) 73 70 70 72, Daniel Kay (Dunbar) 70 72 71 72
286 Anthony Blaney (Liberton) 73 73 66 74, Greg Smail (Craigielaw) 74 68 70 74, John Shanks (Irvine) 75 73 67 71, John Duff (Newmachar) 67 77 72 70
287 Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 65 69 77 76, Ryan Campbell (Falkirk)  69 77 71 70.
288 Alasdair McDougall (Elderslie) 71 74 70 73, Callum Cochrane (Dalmahoy) 72 75 73 68
289 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 73 72 73 71, Liam Johnston (Dumfries and Co) 72 74 74 69, James Steven (Bothwell Castle) 68 77 77 67
290 W Craig Morrison (Haggs Castle) 78 70 71 71
291 Ben Ferguson (Australia) 70 73 74 74, James Newton (Prestbury) 77 71 72 71
292 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 74 74 71 73
293 Scott Grant (Downfield) 67 77 77 72, George Duncan (Windyhill) 70 75 77 71.
294 Malcolm Pennycott (Whiting Bay, Arran) 70 74 71 79, Gordon Stevenson (Whitecraigs) 72 71 78.
296 Glen Burrett (Haggs Castle) 72 74 74 76
297 Kenny Gallacher (East Kilbride) 70 74 76 77.
298 Greg Forrester (Lundin) 75 72 73 78, Will Porter (Carnoustie) 72 72 77 77
299 Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) 72 71 75 81, Robert Johnson (Helensburgh) 75 72 72 80
300 Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) 77 70 72 81
301 Oliver Roberts (Hong Kong) 75 73 73 80
307 Craig Stephen (Aboyne) 73 75 77 82