John Duff scores third win at Spey Bay as NE 

Alliance title defence approaches  

JOEL HOPWOOD REPORTING 
North-east Alliance champion John Duff (Newmachar) will be defending the title next month and he is running into form at just the right time with a third victory of the 2015-16 season on a great winter's day for golf at a Spey Bay Golf Club links in immactulate condition on the Moray Firth coastline today.

Duff, pictured, headed a field of 66 players with a five-under-par round of 65, winning by one stroke from Fraserburgh amateur Gordon Munro.

Duff's bag of seven birdies came at the the third, sixth, seventh, ninth, 14th 16th and 18th in halves of 33 (two under par) and 32 (three under). He bogeyed the first and fourth.

Munro had a bogey-free 66 with birdies at the third, ninth, 15th and 17th.
Kevin Duncan (Paul Lawrie GC), winner of last week's Alliance fixture at Newburgh and lying send behind Duff in the Brimmond Bistro scratch table in the NE Alliance Order of Merit, could do no better than finished T19 today with a seven-over-par 77 which included a 9 and a 7.
Duff, therefore, increased his lead over Duncan with time getting short to win one of the 1-2-3 prizes, sponsored by Craibstone Golf Club's in-house, open-to-the-public restaurant, in the scratch and two handicap tables.
There was a tie for third place on level par 70 between Royal Aberdeen's senior assistant pro Joel Hopwood and Keil Beveridge (Kippie Lodge) 
John Hosie (Kemnay) won Class 2 by virtue of a better inward half than Nigel Parker (Murcar Links). They both had net 70s off their handicaps of 14 apiece.
The decisive blow was struck by Hosie who had a hole in one at the 15th (117yd) using a pitching wedge.
Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) won Class 2 with a 67 off seven.

ALL THE SCRATCH SCORES

Par 70 – 66 Players
65 J Duff (Newmachar)

66 G Munro (Fraserburgh) 
70 J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen), K Beveridge (Kippie Lodge)
71 P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC), S Finnie (Royal Aberdeen), B Ritchie (Inverallochy)
73 C Duffus (Kemnay), C Nelson (Mackenzie Club)
74 S Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC), S Rogers (Cruden Bay), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen, S Mackie (Kemnay), K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC), G Esson (Portlethen)
75 F Bisset (Banchory)
76 D Leslie (Bon Accord), D Fleming (Portlethen)
77 D Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen), K Duncan (Paul Lawrie GC), S Shand (Kemnay), M Merchant (Newmachar)
78 R Reid (Tarland)
79 G Riley (Craibstone), M Forster (Newburgh), P Morrison (Oldmeldrum)
80 A Campbell (Murcar Links), B Skene (Peterculter)
81 D Wilson (Duff House Royal), G Homer (Bon Accord), M Lawrie (Kemnay)
82 D Booth (Tarland)
83 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), D Mackay (Hazlehead)
84 P Low (Kemnay), M Rogers (Kemnay), D Nelson (Aboyne), G Milne (Newburgh), N K Parker (Murcar Links), J Hosie (Kemnay), J Crawford (Craibstone), J Murray (Banchory) 

85 P Cheyne (Northern), J Forrest (Northern)

86 H Roulston (Stonehaven)

87 R Brown (Kemnay), T Boyle (Portlethen), L Duncan (Craibstone), J Stewart (Banchory)

88 W Skene (Deeside), J Scott (Peterculter)

89 D Bisset (Banchory), L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), N Chisholm (Kemnay) 

90 M Rendall (Stonehaven) 

91 T Collie (Kemnay), M Brown (Kemnay)

92 D Townsley (Peterculter)

No Returns:

R Lamb (Newmachar), D Wright (Northern), N Stewart (Northern), A Clark (Newmachar), G Thom (Murcar Links), E Riley (Craibstone)

HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS

Class 1 – Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 74 – 7 = 67; Brian Ritchie (Inverallochy) 71 – 3 = 68; S Shand (Kemnay) 77 – 8 = 69 BIH; Colin Duffus (Kemnay) 73 – 4 = 69 BIH, Scott Mackie (Kemnay) 74 – 5 = 69 BIH

Class 2 -  John Hosie (Kemnay) 84 – 14 = 70 BIH; Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) 84 – 14 = 70; Gary Homer (Bon Accord) 81 – 10 = 71 BIH; Mike Rogers (Kemnay) 84 – 13 = 71; Doug Booth (Tarland) 82 – 10 = 72

BEST SCORECARDS:

SPEY BAY GOLF CLUB 

PAR 70

4-4-4-3-4-4-4-3-5 (35)

4-4-4-3-4-3-5-4-4 (35) = 70

JOHN DUFF (NEWMACHAR)

5-4-3-4-4-3-3-3-4 (33)

4-4-4-3-3-3-4-4-3 (32) = 65

GORDON MUNRO (FRASERBURGH)

4-4-3-3-4-4-4-3-4 (33)

4-4-4-3-4-2-5-3-4 (33) = 66

JOEL HOPWOOD (ROYAL ABERDEEN)

4-4-6-3-4-4-3-3-5 (36)

3-4-4-3-4-3-4-4-5 (34) = 70

KEIL BEVERIDGE (KIPPIE LODGE)

4-5-4-3-4-4-3-3-4 (34)

3-4-5-3-4-3-6-4-4 (36) = 70

PHILIP MCLEAN (PLGC)

4-3-4-4-4-4-4-3-5 (35)

4-4-4-4-4-3-5-4-4 (36) = 71

BRIAN RITCHIE (INVERALLOCHY)

3-3-4-3-4-6-3-4-5 (35)

4-4-5-3-4-3-5-4-4 (36) = 71

STEWART FINNIE (ROYAL ABERDEEN)

4-4-4-3-5-4-3-3-4 (34)

4-4-4-4-4-3-5-3-6 (37) = 71

KEY:      PAR

                BIRDIE

                BOGEY

                DOUBLE BOGEY

The North-east Alliance's next fixture will be at Montrose Golf Club on Wednesday, February 24.

After that, the schedule reads:
March 2 Duff House Royal
March 9 Portlethen (Round 1, NE Alliance championship)
*March 16 Craibstone (Round 2m NE Alliance championship)
 * Last counting event for Brimond Bistro Order of Merit final tables.
March 17 NE Alliance Fourball Betterball Pro - Am
March 23 McDonald Ellon (does not count for Order of Merit final tables)