Scottish Young Professionals' title-winner at Muckhart

GRAND PERFORMANCE

FROM GREG McBAIN

Royal Dornoch assistant Greg McBain picked up the first prize of £1,200 - his biggest golfing payday to date - by winning the Scottish Young Professionals' championship at soggy Muckhart today.
With the first day's play washed out and the tournament reduced to a 54-holer with preferred lies in operation, McBain, a former Newmachar Golf Club amateur, had scores of 67, 70 and 67 for a nine-under-par total of 204.
He won by a single shot from David Orr (East Renfrewshire) who earned £920 for scores of 69, 69 and 67.
Long-time leader Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) came third with 66, 69 and 71 for 206 and a financial reward of £720.
The round of the championship - a nine-under-par 62 after earlier scores of 70 and 75 - rocketed former Scottish boys' match-play champion Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) up into fourth place on 207 for which he received £570.
Harper's brilliant effort cannot be recognised as a course record because preferred lies were allowed on the sodden fairways.
Two rounds were played on the final day and McBain made his winning move by covering his last 22 holes in six under par - birdies at the 15th and 18th to conclude his second-round 70 and birdies at the fifth, eighth, 13th, 15th and 18th to sign off with a 67.
The North-east man birdied the 281yd 15th and the 545yd 18th in each of the three rounds.
David Orr did well to come back from a double bogey 6 at the 15th in his first round.
He covered the inward half in 32 shots in both the second and third rounds.

In his second round, after the turn Orr birdied the 12th, 13th, 15th and eagled the 18th. In his third round, Orr birdied the 13thy, 15th, 17th and 18th.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3 x 71)
204 G McBain (Royal Dornoch) 67 70 67 (£1,200).
205 D Orr (East Renfrewshire) 69 69 67 (£920).
206 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 66 69 71 (£720).
207 L Harper (Archerfield Links) 70 75 62 (£570).
208 M Loftus (Cowglen) 72 69 67, G Wright (West Linton) 68 74 66, S Duncan (Balbirnie Park) 67 68 73 (£413 each).
210 C Currie (Caldwell) 68 72 70 (£320).
211 J Wales (Kings Acre) 73 69 69 (£290).
212 G Fox (East kilbride) 68 73 71 (£270).
213 P Mitchell (Hermitage), S Lamb (Bromieknowe), M Barnard (Inchmarlo) 69 74 70 (£230 each).
214 R Buckley (Craigielaw) 73 72 69, J Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey) 70 71 73 (£185 each).
215 L Mackie (unatt) 71 70 74 (£175).
216 A Brown (Whitecraigs) 74 69 73 (£170).
217 K Monaghan (Bothwell Castle) 73 72 72, N Fenwick (Dunbar) 71 76 70, S Herald (Mearns Castle) 69 75 73 (£160 each).
218 M Rae (Alyth) 74 70 74 (£151).
219 J McGhee (Turnhouse) 74 74 71, R Neill (Drumpellier) 74 71 74, E Hogarth (Peebles) 74 73 72, S Reekie (Blairgowrie) 73 71 75, C McCalman (unatt) 73 72 74, A Love (Charleton) 71 74 74 (£141 each).
221 R Valentine (Craigielaw) 74 70 77, M Bruce (Gullane) 71 73 77, S Robin (Kilmarnock Barassie) 69 77 75 (£132 each).
222 G Lornie (Kings Links) 74 71 77, S Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 73 72 77 (£127 each).
223 G Hardy (Dundonald Links) 73 74 76 (£124).
224 T Mathieson (Kings Acre) 73 74 77 (£122)
225 R Dennison (Inverness) 74 75 76 (£120).
227 C Storrier (Panmure) 74 77 76, G Rankin (Stirling) 74 81 71 (£117 each).
232 I Fraser (Cardross) 73 81 76 (£114).
235 P Hubner (Eastwood) 71 82 82 (£112).
236 R Ewen (West Lothian) 72 84 80 (£110).