Young Grindell overpowers senior Chancellor  

to win Inverness Four-day Open

                                                                                               By ROBIN WILSON

Local senior member Laurie Chancellor,  a key member of the Inverness team that won the senior Northern Counties Cup when played at Inverness in May, took the scalp of the defending Inverness Four-Day tournament holder, John Forbes, in the semi- final and approached the final confidently hoping to add his name to the Rosswood Trophy for a second time.

Chancellor had won in 2000 and then lost a final to Euan Polson in 2007 but in the final against a much younger local member, David Grindell (19), pictured above, he was thwarted by sand over the opening four holes.

Chancellor, pictured below, was in two bunkers on the opening hole then lost the second hole to a Grindell birdie 2.  Chancellor's two shots to recover from a bunker at the third hole and finding another with his approach to the fourth green gave Grindell a comfortable four- hole lead in his first final.

 Chancellor's saving par putt from the bunker recovery to no avail as Grindell made his second birdie in four holes.

Chancellor made a brief inroad into the deficit with a birdie on the par five fifth hole but he remained three behind after ten and when Grindell won the 12^th and 14th holes he became the 2015 champion by 5 and 4.

RESULTS

All Inverness GC members unless stated

LEADING QUALIFIERS

137 K MacKay 71 66 

144 M Laing 73 71, S Buchan 72 72, L Chancellor 68 76

146 J D Forbes 73 73, C Franssen 76 70, D Grindell 75 71

First round - J D Forbes bt N McWilliam (Kingussie) 4 and 3, G Forsyth bt W A MacLeanmn 7 and 5, L Chancellor bt G Fraser 3 and 2, R Latapy bt S Buchan (Invergordson) 5 and 3.

M Kaubg bt D McGrouther 4 and 3, C Franssen bt S Ross 8 and 7, D Grindell bt G Warburton 3 and 1, J Keith bt K MacKay 1 hole.

Quarter-finals - Forbes bt Forsyth 8 and 7, Chancellor bt Latapy 2 and 1, Franssen bt Laing 1 hole, Grindell bt Keith 1 hole.

Semi-finals – Chancellor bt Forbes 2 and 1, Grindell bt Franssen 1 hole.

Final - Grindell bt Chancellor 5 and 4.

+Pictures by Robin Wilson