HUTCH'S 18TH HOLE EAGLE EARNS

SHARE OF LEAD WITH SEAN LAWRIE

Sean

Lawrie

left

 

Greig

Hutcheon

right

An eagle 3 with a drive, eight-iron approach and 20ft putt at Porthlethen's  492yd 18th earned Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, Inchmarlo) a share of the first-round lead on six-under-par 66 in the 36-hole North-east Alliance championship today, writes Colin Farquharson.

Lawrie, 24-year-old nephew of Paul Lawrie, had set the clubhouse target earlier in the day with a seven-birdie, one bogey 66 in which he "missed a few greens but got up and down to save par each time" in halves of 34 (two under) and 32 (four under).

Sean, like most of his fellow competitors, thought the course in general was in very good nick, and in particular the greens were first-class.

Portlethen was Sean's home course before he turned pro two years ago with his uncle's golf centre "stable," so as a former junior champion there, he knows the course a lot better than Hutcheon who won the NE Alliance title in 2014.

Greig, playing near the end of a 91-strong field who move on to Craibstone next Wednesday for the final round, had it all to do when he bogeyed the eighth and 10th and was "only" one under par on the 12th tee.

But Hutch rose to the occasion as he so often does with back-to-back birdies at the 12th, 13th and 14th capped by his grandstand finish with that eagle 3 at the 18th. He also had halves of 34-32.

Hutcheon and Sean Lawrie earned £125 on the day. They lead by four shots from two more Paul Lawrie Golf Centre players, Sam Kiloh and Kevin Duncan with another pro, Keil Beveridge (Kippie Lodge on 71).

There is an amateur champion trophy at the end of 36 holes and Brian Nicholson (Hazlehead) leads the amateurs with a 72, one ahead of Gary Esson (Portlethen), Jake Scott (Strathlene) and Fergus Milne (Banchory).

Sean Lawrie's father Steve, Paul's older brother, pictured right, won the top Class 1 handicap prize with a net 69 off seven of a handicap.

ONE-ROUND PRIZEWINNERS

SCRATCH - 66 Sean Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC), G Hutcheon (PLGC Inchmalro). 70 S Kiloh (PLGC), K Duncan (PLGC).

HANDICAP

Class 1 - Steve Lawrie (7) 69; G Chalmers (7), D Fleming (5) 71; Jake Scott (1), F Milne (1) 72.

Class 2 - N Chisholm (12), W Beattie (10) 71; R Ruddiman (11) 74; M Rogers (16) 76; A Clark (11) 77.

LOW AMATEUR PRIZE (outwith main prize list) - B Nicholson 72.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
par 72 (36-36)

SCRATCH SCORES
Par 72
66 Sean Lawrie (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) 34-32, G Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie GC, Inchmarlo) 34-32.
70 S Kiloh (Paul Lawrie GC) 35-35, K Duncan (Paul Lawrie GC) 34-36
71 K Beveridge (Kippie Lodge) 36-35.
72 B Nicholson (Hazlehead) 37-35
73 G Esson (Portlethen) 37-36, J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen) 36-37, Jake Scott (Strathlene) 38-35, F Milne (Banchory) 38-35, J Duff (Newmachar) 38-35, P McLean (Peterhead) 36-37, G Munro (Newmachar) 38-35.
74 Laura Murray (Kippie Lodge) 37-37, C Dempster (Paul Lawrie GC) 39-35.
75 K Zeynalov (Portlethen), I Taylor (Kemnay).
76 C Law (Northern), S Mackie (Kemnay), Steve Lawrie (Portlethen), D Fleming (Portlethen).
77 S Hanson (Paul Lawrie GC), C Grant (Portlethen) S Finnie (Caledonian), F Bisset (Banchory).
78 G Chalmers (Alford), P McKenna (Paul Lawrie GC), D Leslie (Bon Accord), S Roger (Cruden Bay), J Nicholson (Hazlehead).
79 S Scott (Hazlehead).
80 A Campbell (Murcar Links), A Smith (Turriff), J Barclay (Hazlehead)
81 T Boyle (Portlethen), B Harper (Newburgh), J Chalmers (Alford), S Shand (Kemnay), W Beattie (Craibstone), J Sunley (Northern), G McLaggan (Bon Accord), C Duffus (Royal Aberdeen), J Borthwick (Craibstone).
82 R Reid (Tarland), G Riley (Craibstone), R Lamb (Newmachar).
83 N Chisholm (Kemnay), W Skene (Deeside).
84 D Booth (Tarland), H Roulston (Stonehaven), M Lawrie (Kemnay).
85 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), M Allan (Hazlehead), D Craigie (Portlethen), R Ruddiman (Royal Aberdeeen).
86 P Craig (Kintore), D Lane (Deeside), D Nelson (Aboyne).
88 A Clark (Deeside).
89 L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), P Morrison (Oldmeldrum), J Forrest (Northern).
90 S Allison (Caledonian), G Mackie (Newmachar), D Wright (Northern), H McNaughton (Cruden Bay), R Duncan (Deeside).
91 Jim Scott (Peterculter), P Cheyne (Northern), J Stewart (Banchory), P Low (Craibstone).
92 D Cassie (Nigg Bay), M Rogers (Kemnay).
94 S Davidson (Northern), G Homer (Aboyne), G Cochrane (Kemnay).
95 D Bisset (Banchory), S Christie (Aboyne).
96 M Brown (Kemnay), D Robertson (Hazlehead).
97 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), D Townsley (Peterculter), N K Parker (Murcar Links).
100 B Lumsden (Northern).
102 R Reid (Tarland)
105 D Lawrie (Deeside).