Wallace Booth wins Scottish
open amateur stroke-play

While his 15-year-old sister Carly Booth was competing for Great Britain & Ireland on the final day of the Curtis Cup match over the Old Course, not all that far away across the St Andrews area, her older brother Wallace was scoring the biggest win of his golfing career.
Comrie Golf Club member Wallace, 22, won the weather-shortened Scottish men’s open amateur stroke-play championship at The Duke’s Course with rounds o f69, 73 and 68 for a three-under-par total of 210.
Friday’s opening round was fogged off and the competition was reduced to three rounds, with a cut made on the first round, producing the qualifiers to contest Sunday’s final two rounds. Title-holder Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) did not survive the cut.
Wallace Booth, picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), won by four shots from Frenchman Edouard Dubois with Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) and Matthew Cryer (Coventry) tieing for third place on 216.
Uncapped Halliday was following up a high finish in the Lytham Trophy and he if he maintains this form he must be in line for a first Scotland honour.
Booth won the Scottish boys’ Under-13 stroke-play championship at The Hirsel in 2000, was pipped by Scott Jamieson for the Scottish boys open stroke-play title at Lanark in 2001 but won the Scottish youths championship at Brunston Castle in 2004.
He spent four years playing on the American college circuit as a student at Augusta State University.
Earlier this season he played for Europe against Asia-Pacific in the Michael Bonallack Trophy match at Valderrama.
South African Johan De Beer, the 36-hole leader after rounds of 68 and 71, slumped out of contention with a 78 for 217 and a share of fifth place.
Rising international player Philip McLean from Peterhead learned the hard way that the checking of a scorecard is more than a routine business. He would have finished joint third with a total of 216 but signed for a 72 instead of a 73 in the third round and was disqualified.

FINAL TOTALS AT THE DUKE’S
Par 213 (3 x 71). CSS 75 (+1), 74 (0), 75 (+1)
210 W Booth (Comrie) 69 73 68.
214 E Dubois (France) 69 72 73.
216 M Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) 73 73 70, M Cryer (Coventry) 73 71 72.
217 Z Saltman (Craigielaw) 69 72 76, M Baldwin (Royal Birkdale) 68 73 76, J De Beer (South Africa) 68 71 78.
218 D Law (Hazlehead) 74 66 78, R McKnight (Caprington) 72 73 73, S McEwan (Caprington) 74 67 77, M Clark (Kilmacolm) 659 77 72, R Blizard (Australia) 73 76 69.
219 G Campbell (Blairgowie) 72 74 73, P O’Hara (Colville Park) 73 72 74, A Wainwright (Gainsborough) 67 79 73.
220 R Kellett (Colville Park) 72 70 78, S Arnold (Australia) 72 68 80.
221 C Hinton (The Oxfordshire) 72 73 76, J Gallagher (Swanston New) 70 73 78, D Booth (Rotherham) 73 72 76.
222 B Hebert (France) 73 77 72, J Ryba (Czech Rep) 74 74 74, M Stewart (Troon Welbeck) 72 74 76, M Novy (Czech Rep) 74 74 74, O Sharpe (Minchinhampton) 73 76 73.
223 J Shepherd (Wisley) 74 75 74, M Carvell (South Africa) 73 74 76, H Smart (Banstead Downs) 70 77 76.
224 A McLachlan (Bonnyton) 73 72 79, E Eichardson Rye) 71 76 77.
225 J Hurst (Shaw Hill) 73 70 82.
226 M Bookless (Sandyhills) 74 75 77, C Macaulay (Tulliallan) 71 75 80, J Welsh (Australia) 73 79 74.
227 G Yates (Hilton Park) 74 78 75, C Schwierz (Germany) 74 75 78, M Gleeson (Australia) 74 75 78.
228 M Daily (Ersikine) 74 80 74.
229 J Bekker (South Africa) 74 82 73, E Espana France) 74 79 76, J Redman (South Africa) 73 79.
230 T Stewart (Australia) 72 78 80, S Uzzell (Hornsea) 72 81 77, L Rowe (South Africa) 73 76 81.
231 S Henry (Cardross) 74 81 76.
232 R Dizon (Barassie) 74 76 72.
233 G Benson (Leighton Buzzard) 72 79 82.
236 S Smith (Arbroath Artisan) 70 81 85.
237 A Culverwell (Dunbar) 73 78 86, S McAllister (Craigielaw) 74 74 69.
241 J Lando-Casanova (Freance) 74 85 82.
243 C Hutcheon (Monifieth) 74 83 86.
Disqualified – P McLean (Peterhead) 69 74 73.