MARCHBANK AND GIBSON TIE FOR SECOND PLACE, A SHOT BEHIND

LATE BIRDIES WIN SUTHERLAND 

CHALICE FOR ADAM DUNTON


By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

It's a long way from Aberdeenshire to Dumfries but it proved a worthwhile trip for Adam Dunton of the McDonald Golf Club, Ellon.
He won this weekend's SGU 72-hole Order of Merit tournament, the Sutherland Chalice, at Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club with a nine-under-par total of 271.
Dunton, who might make this his last season in the amateur ranks, shot into a four-stroke lead, demoting halfway leader Scott Gibson (Southerness), with a five-under-par 65 in the third round.
But it was a close-run race in the end to get over the winning line.
With just a handful of holes Dunton had been pegged back by Gibson and Greig Marchbank (Thornhill), all of them on the eight-under-par mark.
Adam responded to the pressure by birdieing the 15th and 16th and that gave him the breathing space to win the Sutherland Chalice for the first - and possibly the last - time.
Marchbank, who giave his rivals a headstart by carding a one-over-par 71 in the first round, came on strongly after that with scores of 68, 66 and 67 to tie for second place with Gibson, who played on the US college circuit as a student at East Tennessee State University. 
Gibson will be rueing a quadruple bogey 8 he took at the ninth with two lost balls, in the third round.
Defending champion Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm)
never got into contention this year and finished down the field on 286.
+Picture shows Adam Dunton and Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club captain Steve Thom.

SUTHERLAND CHALICE
Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club
FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) SS 71 CSS 71 71 72 (Round 4 not confirmed yet)
Yardage: 6,222
271 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 68 67 65 71
272 Greig Marchbank (Thornhill) 71 68 66 67, Scott Gibson (Southerness) 66 64 74 68
274 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 67 70 71 66
276 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 71 67 69 69
278 Lawrence Allan (Alva) 68 70 74 66
284 Seven Rennie (Drumpellier) 70 71 75 68
285 Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle) 74 72 71 68, Chris Corbett (Dumfries and Galloway) 73 70 72 70
286 Malcolm Pennycott (Whiting Bay, Arran) 71 73 72 70, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 68 73 73 72, Liam Johnston (Dumfries and Co) 71 71 71 73
287 Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) 68 69 72 78
289 Lewis Bain (Turnhouse) 74 71 75 69
290 Clark Riddick (Southerness) 67 74 75 74
291 Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 71 68 75 77
293 Alan Birdsall (Dumfries and Co) 70 74 75 74, Mark Owenson (Longniddry) 76 71 70 76, Michael Grunwell (Powfoot) 70 71 73 78.
294 Scott Mann (Carnoustie) 76 72 77 69, Fraser Grant (Ralston) 73 77 73 71
295 Mike Gray (North Berwick) 71 75 76 73, Greig O'Neill (Dullatur) 73 72 74 76, Jeff Wright (Forrres) 68 72 77 78
296 Brandon Burgess (Dumfries and Galloway) 78 73 74 71
297 Alan Sutherland (Ladybank) 72 76 74 75, Franklin Manchest (South Africa) 75 73 73 76
298 Kyle McClung (Wigtonshire Co) 76 74 72 76
299 David Brodie (Wigton and Bladnoch) 74 72 80 73, Daniel Thompsett (Aboyne) 76 74 75 74
300 John Duff (Newmachar) 75 75 75 75
301 Rowan Marchbank (Dumfries and Galloway) 69 75 76 81
303 Andrew Kerr (Crichton) 78 72 74 79
304 Craig Deerness (Harburn) 77 69 79 79, Nick Peoples (Tantallon) 78 72 73 81
319 Alasdair Simpson (North Berwick) 71 78 86 84
No Returns:  Craig Hill (Dumfries and Galloway) 70  72 76 NR, Ben Craggs (Glenbervie) 70 75 78 NR,