Gavin Hay is following in father Gordon's 

Alliance championship-winning footsteps

By ROBIN WILSON

Professional Gavin Hay who plays out of Nairn Dunbar Golf Club, having spent last summer working there in the pro's shop, took his first step nearer his father Gordon Hay's three-time winning years as North Scottish Golfers Alliance champion when he romped home with the winning score in this year's championship at Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club.

 Hay (24), pictured above, has recently returned from the hot and sultry Far East where he just missed earning a Tour Card to play on the Far East Professional Tour but he turned up his own heat in Ross-shire with a six-under-par 65 over James Braid's iconic Channory Point links course to win by four from local amateur Lewis Reid.

A three-putt on the first green immediately followed by a missed second green was not the two-over-par start he wanted but a birdie on the first par -ive hole and an eagle on the next par-five, where he found the green with a four iron, quickly put him in charge of his card by reaching the turn in two under par 34. 

Almost driving the 13^th, 14^th and 15th holes, all measuring below 300 yards, brought three more birdies and closing with a birdie 2 at the clubhouse, his inward half was a miserly 31 for an excellent total of 65. 

Hay hopes to return to the Far East next year and also try his luck at the European Tour qualifying school but until then he will concentrate on the Tartan Tour with Spey Valley professional Murray Urquhart looking after his swing.  

Under favourable conditions and against the field of 86, home player Lewis Reid took some of the chances on offer with outward- half birdies at the third, sixth and seventh holes, adding three more sub-par figures at the 13th, 14^th and 17th but lapses at the first, fourth, tenth and final hole took his card back to 69. 

Some consolation for the local two-handicapper saw his net 67 win Handicap Class 1 section and the Bank of Scotland Quaich by a shot from Dougie Gordon (Inverness).

Jordan Shaw (Boat of Garten) had a slightly worse start than the new champion with a three over par card after his first four holes. 

He added another bogey at the seventh to intermingle with his six birdies and bogeyed 16^th hole for third place on 70. A shot further back was the new champion's father, Gordon Hay (Boat of Garten), who won the Sir Hugh Mackenzie Trophy for a first time 25 years ago (1991) and then again in 1995 and 2005.

Liam Hutchison (Inverness) winner of this season's  Class 2 Handicap aggregate trophy for best six scores, kept his form to the end of the Alliance season and came in with another winning nett card to lift the Jim Thom Quaich for the higher handicap members with a nett 68.

The J A B Little Trophy for best score from a senior member went to Inverness's Alan Henry with gross 78. Returning a 73 W R Duncan (Moray) won the senior's handicap J M C Gourlay Salver.   

LEADING SCRATCH

par 71

65 G A Hay (Nairn Dunbar) p (Winner Sir Hugh Mackenzie Trophy). 

69 L Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie)

70 J Shaw (Boat of Garten).

71 G H Hay (Boat of Garten)

72 A Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie).

73 B J Thomson (Torvean), J S D Campbell (Grantown on Spey), B R Fotheringham (Forres), D Gordon (Inverness), N McWlliam (Elgin). 

74 M McAllan (Elgin) .

75 R Harrower (Boat of Garten) p.

76 S Wilson (Inverness), A Macintosh (Torvean), R Clarke (Moray) p

77 R Black (Inverness) p, I Murray (Boat of Garten), F Hutchison (Inverness)

78 A Henry (Inverness), W R Duncan (Moray), K Thomson (Moray).

79 L Hutchison (Inverness), A Philip (Inverness), P Mathieson (Grantown on Spey), D Ramsay (Moray) p.

80 D Johnston (Moray), D Joel (Inverness), D Hector (Elgin).

81 B Coupar (Boat of Garten), R Stewart (Nairn Dunbar), R McKerron (Forres), A Hutchison (Inverness), P Masson (Rothes), R H Stewart (Torvean).

82 D MacGrouther (Inverness), M Lyall (Torvean), M Windsor (Nairn).

83 N MacAskill (Forres), W Hutchison (Inverness), D F Sharp (Boat of Garten), J R Ingram (Boat of Garten), W Weatherall (Muir of Ord).

Handicap Section One (7 and under)

67 L Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) (2) (Winner of Bank Scotland Quaich)

68 D Gordon (Inverness) (5)

69 A Macintosh (Torvean) (7)

70 F Hutchison (Inverness) (7)

72 N McWilliam (Elgin) (1), I Murray (Boat of Garten) (5)

Handicap Section Two (8 to 18)

68 L Hutchison (Inverness) (11)  (Winner of Jim Thom Quaich)

71 B Coupar (Boat of Garten) (10), M Lyall (Torvean) (11), M Windsor (Nairn) (11).

73 V McLaughlin (Boat of Garten) (13), N MacAskill (Forres) (10).

Senior Scratch - Winner of the J A B Little Trophy

78 A Henry (Inverness) bih

Senior Handicap - Winner of the J M C Gourlay Salver 

73 W R Duncan (Moray) (5)