Mailley wins Sutherland county championship by six shots

Left to right -  Steve Doogan (Golspie), Daniel Holden (Royal Dornoch), Chris Mailley (Royal Dornoch), William MacBeath (Captain Golspie Golf Club), David Pearson (Royal Dornoch), Darren Hexley (Golspie), James MacBeath (Brora). 

By ROBIN WILSON

Royal Dornoch's Chris Mailley coasted to a six-shot win in the 90th Sutherland county championship played over the Golspie Golf Course.  

Ninety- five years have passed since the championship was first played played in 1922 at the same venue, the winner Alec MacDonald of Golspie. Only during the years of World War II was the competition not played.

Last Saturday's success for Mailley (34) was his fifth and, by coincidence, it was over the same course that he gained his first County Cup win 16 years ago as a teenager.

The following year he made his mark outside Dornoch when he won both the North District Association cup and the Youths Trophy at Tain on the same day, a unique double and a record he still holds.

On his way to winning last Saturday he came close to claiming a share of the Golspie course record in his first round, currently sitting at 65 and held by his German clubmate Jorg Paulus, when the lowest handicap holder (+3) in the field, raced to the turn in three under par 32 from birdies at the fourth, seventh and ninth holes. 

His only shot dropped to par was at the 10th in an otherwise flawless back nine of 34 for 66.

The Dornoch member's closest challengers were clubmate Daniel Holden 70 (36-34) and with the same score local Darren Hexley, winner of the cup three years ago but with two halves of 35 following his hat-trick of birdies at the sixth, seventh and eighth holes.

Among other former winners in the mix was the holder, Alex MacDonald (Royal Dornoch) who left himself much to do after a first nine of 42 but came home in 33 for 75, and the Brora pair on the 74 mark, Roddie Cameron (37-37) and James MacBeath (35-39).

Hexley's bid to win on his home course could not be faulted. He repeated his halves of 35 in round two for a second round 70 to post the early leading score of 140. Holden then came in with a 72 for 142 and from the last three players to leave the course came the new champion.

Mailley handed in a second sub-par card by again mastering the outward half, three birdies in succession (fifth, sixth and seventh) for 33.

His first bogey came on the 11^th hole, quickly cancelled out by birdie at the next before a second bogey on the penultimate hole took him into the clubhouse carrying a two under par 68 for the commanding winning aggregate of 134.

Playing alongside Mailley,  MacBeath posted a second round score of 72 for fourth place and the outgoing champion MacDonald a 73 for a share of fifth with his Dornoch club mate and 2012 winner, David Pearson.

Third placed Holden (70-72) was awarded the higher valued first handicap prize voucher with his nett aggregate of 136 (67-69) which allowed MacBeath receive the third scratch prize.

Local Steve Doogan was handicap runner-up with nett 142 (71-71), off 5, and Pearson third 146, off 2.

 

Leading SCRATCH

134 C Mailley (Royal Dornoch) 66 68.

140 D Hexley (Golspie) 70 70.

142 D Holden (Royal Dornoch) 70 72.

146 J G McBeath (Brora) 74 72. 

148 A MacDonald (Royal Dornoch) 75 73, D Pearson (Royal Dornoch) 74 74.

150 R S Cameron (Brora) 74 76

152 S Doogan (Golspie) 76 76.

157 G Bethune (Royal Dornoch) 78 79.

158 D Roberts (Golspie) 81 77.

159 N Cameron (Brora) 83 76, M Schinkel (Royal Dornoch) 82 77. 161 G M Rutherford (Brora) 83 78, R D Murray (Royal Dornoch)77 84, N Campbell (Royal Dornoch) 80 84.

LEADING HANDICAP

D Holden (Royal Dornoch) (3) 136.

S Doogan (Golspie) (5) 142.

D Pearson (Royal Dornoch) (2) 146