COLIN GILLIES WINS AT PRESTONFIELD PRO-AM

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Braid Hills’ Colin Gillies, the most successful player in Tartan Tour history, added another £956 to his record haul since he turned pro in 1984 by winning the Prestonfield Golf Club pro-am in Edinburgh today (Friday).

Without a win this season up to July, the 43-year-old Gillies – Scottish boys champion at Dunbar in 1983 - has now won twice this month. On July 3 he tied for victory at the Hayston pro-am with Jason McCreadie, so this was Colin’s first outright pro-am win of the year.

Coincidentally, McCreadie was his main rival again but this time the Buchanan Castle man had to settle for the £764 runner-up prize.

Gillies’ two-under-par 68 in the high winds that swept the East coast of Scotland won him the top prize by a single shot from McCreadie with three men – Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Graham Fox (East Kilbride) and Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), sharing third place with par-matching 70s which earned them £449 apiece

Gillies, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, made his score with a three-under-par outward half of 32, the highlight of which was an eagle at the seventh, backed up by birdies at the third and ninth and only one shot dropped, at the third.

Coming home in one-over 36, he birdied the 14th but bogeyed the 10th and 17th.

Chris Doak led the Cruden Homes’ amateur trio of John Murphy (handicap 18), David West (18) and Bill Murphy (9) to victory in the team event with a 12-under-par net total of 58.

PRO TOTALS

Par 70

68 Colin Gillies (Braid Hills) (£956).

69 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) (£764).

70 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Graham Fox (East Kilbride), Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) (£449 each).

71 Owen Leslie (Craigentinny), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs), Kenny Walker (Castle Park) (£248 each).

72 Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre), Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy), Gordon Law (Uphall), Stephen Gray (Hayston), David Orr (Eastwood), Chris Doak (unatt) £(143 each).

73 Gavin Cook (Prestonfield), Scott Henderson (Kings Links) (£100 each).

74 Gavin Cook (Prestonfield), Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club) (£81 each).

75 David Patrick (Elie), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) (£62 each).

76 Mark King (Kingsfield), Chris Kelly (Cawder) (£48 each).

77 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills0, James McGhee (Turnhouse) (£48 each).

78 Russell McIntyre (Prestonfield) (£48).

80 Paul Hubner (Arabian Ranches) (£48).

81 Graham Mackay (Prestonfield) (£48).

87 Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) (£48).

ends