SAM KILOH LEADS WAY AT ELLON FOR FIRST WIN

OF ALLIANCE SEASON - AT FINAL COMPETITION

Paul Lawrie Golf Centre professionals, headed by first-time winner Sam Kiloh (20)  from Portlethen, produced four of the eight sub-70 scores at today's  North-east Golfers' Alliance competition, the last of the 2014-2015 season, at McDonald Ellon Golf Club, writes Colin Farquharson.

To be fair, sojourns by second-year pro Kiloh (pictured),  to Morocco and Egypt to play on the German PGA Development Tour have restricted his Alliance appearances.
Kiloh, struggling, like would-be pro John Duff, to gain sponsorship to help meet the costs of being a tour player based in the North-east of Scotland,  is gaining experience all the time and his future looks bright, judged on a five-under-par 65 which headed a field of 74 and earned him the £100 first prize.
Sam's six birdies came at the fifth, sixth, ninth, 12th, 13th and 14th in halves of 34 (three under par) and 31 (two under). A bogey at the last was the only blemish on his card.
Craig Lawrie, another promising young PLGC player, looked like finishing second with a 67 (36-31), including an eagle 2 at the 255yd 14th, until local amateur, Scotland cap Adam Dunton, one of the last men to finish, posted a 66 to snatch the runner-up amateur voucher.
Dunton, who will not turn pro and sees his future in the oil industry, birdied four of the last six holes but a bogey at the 17th cost him a share of first place.
In all eight players broke the par of 70, the others being amateurs NE Alliance champion John Duff, who came back in 29, Tony Robertson (Peterculter) and Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) and Jordan Findlay (Paul Lawrie GC), the quartet joint fourth on 68, and yet another PLGC player on 69, Kamran Zeynalov from Azerbaijan.
Challenge Tour player David Law (PLGC), the pre-tournament favourite, saddled himself with 6-5 start against the par of 4-4 and he had to come home in 31 to salvage a 71.
David had birdies at the 10h, 11th, 13th, 14th and 16th with bogeys at the 15th and 17th.

HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS
Class 1 - C Cassie (7) 66; D Mackay (7) bih, A Gall (4) 70; D Bisset (9) bih, D Lane (9) 71.
Class 2 -  D Lawrie (16) 66; J Sunley (10) 71; L Roger (10) 72; D Townsley (14) bih, R Masson (11) 73

SCRATCH SCOREBOARD
Par 70 (37-33)
65 S Kiloh (Paul Lawrie GC) p 34-31
66 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) am 35-31
67 C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) p 36-31
68 J Duff (Newmachar) am 39-29, T Robertson (Peterculter) am 36-32, J Findlay (Paul Lawrie GC) p 35-33, N Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) am 38-30
69 K Zeynalov (Paul Lawrie GC) p 37-32
70 K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC) p
71 D Law (Paul Lawrie GC) p, K Duncan (Cruden Bay) am, B Nicolson (Hazlehead) am.
73 C Cassie (Nigg Bay) am, R McConnachie (Peterculter) p
74 C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) p, A Gall (Deeside) am, D Leslie (Northern) am
75 G Paterson (Northern), D Fanthorp (Dungannon)
76 J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen)
77 D Fleming (Portlethen), D Mackay (Hazlehead), S Finnie (Royal Aberdeen), J Duncan (Oldmeldrum), J Borthwick (Craibstone)
78 H Roulston (Stonehaven), A J Smith (Turriff)
79 W Skene (Deeside), I Taylor (Hazlehead)
80 D Bisset (Banchory), D Lane (Deeside)
81 B Harper (Newburgh), I Clark (Deeside), J Sunley (Northern)
82 L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), D Lawrie (Aboyne), W Shaw (Banchory). G Milne (Newburgh), D Nelson (Aboyne), S Griffiths (Duff House Royal)
83 Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne)
84 G Leslie (Northern), R Masson (Auchmill), F Bisset (Banchory), S Mackie (Hazlehead)
85 S Shand (Kemnay)
86 W Beattie (Craibstone)
87 D Townsley (Peterculter), P Low (Craibstone), G Allan (Newmachar)
88 M Forster (Cruden Bay), L Duncan (Craibstone), J Forrest (Northern), J Scott (Peterculter), D Wright (Northern), H McNaughton (Cruden Bay), D McKay (Caledonian), N Chisholm (Kemnay)
89 A Benton (Kemnay), M Smith (Newmachar), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen)
90 S Davidson (Northern), G Homer (Northern), N Stewart (Northern), M Duncan (Murcar Links)
91 M Rendall (Stonehaven), R Brown (Kemnay), J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum), G Thom (Kemnay)
93 M Brown (Kemnay)
94 M Rogers (Kemnay)
 95 J Murray (Banchory)

BEST SCORECARDS
Par 37 out, 33 in. 

SAM KILOH 65
OUT: 4-4-4 5-3-3 3-3-5: 34
   IN: 4-3-2 3-3-3 4-4-5:  31

ADAM DUNTON 66
OUT: 4-4-4 4-3-5 3-4-4: 35
   IN: 4-4-3 3-3-3 3-5-3:  31 

CRAIG LAWRIE 67 
OUT: 4-4-4 5-4-4 3-3-5: 36
    IN: 5-3-3 3-2-3 4-4-4: 31 
+Craig's 2 at the 14th was an eagle 
 

Nigel Parker with Major's Pot as Class 2 championship   winner
 
 
Nigel K Parker (Murcar Links) was not in the field at Ellon today but he turned up in the clubhouse at the finish to have his picture taken with the Major's Pot (the late Major Graham was a past secretary of the Alliance), as the leading Class 2 player at last week's North-east Alliance championship.
Here is how Nigel looked in the afternoon sunshine outside the McDonald Ellon clubhouse. 

NEW SEASON STARTS AT CRAIBSTONE ON SEPTEMBER 2

The 2015-2016 North-east Alliance season will tee off at Craibstone Golf Club on Wednesday, September 2. The annual meeting will be held in the Craibstone clubhouse on the Monday evening (August 31) that week.