DUNBAR TOUR PRO RETURNS TO MURCAR LINKS

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR TERRY IN SCOTTISH ALLIANCE By COLIN FARQUHARSON Dunbar Golf Club staff professional Terry Mathieson returned to Murcar Links, his old stamping ground as an amateur, to post a two-under-par 69 in bright but breezy conditions to lead at the end of the first day of the 54-hole Scottish Golfers' Alliance championship. At the other course being used, Newburgh-on-Ythan, slightly shorter but with a par of 72, two North-east amateurs, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) and Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon), shared the lead on the 70 mark. Murcar Links off the championship tees with the strong wind in the players' faces when they turned for home sorted out the men from the boys. "I'd forgotten how strong the wind was on North-east links courses," said Terry. "But local knowledge certainly helped me a lot, knowing what clubs to play downwind and then into it." Mathieson was able to reach the turn in one-under-par 35, despite a double bogey 6 at the sixth where he was bunkered and then three-putted. An eagle 3 at the long fourth and a birdie at the ninth more than compensated. He drove the 11th green (367yd) downwind and two-putted for the first of three birdies on the homeward stretch. A six-iron at the short 12th set up a one-putt birdie and he got another birdie 2 at the 16th. Battling into the wind, he had bogeys at the 13th and 14th in an inward half of one-under 34. For others it was literally a game of two halves at Murcar Links. Crow Wood pro Ian Graham, for instance, covered the outward nine downwind in four-under-par 32 with birdies at the fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth. But he required 44 blows for the inward journey. Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen), leading amateur and runner-up in the recent Northern Open, also turned in 34 at Murcar Links but came home in 49 shots! He was 10 over par for the last five holes alone. Mathieson headed the Murcar returns by two shots from Hayston scratch amateur John Fowler (34-37) with Montrose Links tour pro Graeme Brown (34-38) on the 72 mark. At Newburgh-on-Ythan, Jordan Findlay, beaten finalist in the Scottish amateur championship this year at Gullane, birdied the seventh, ninth, 10th and 13th for his 70, dropping shots at the 16th and 18th. in halves of 34 and 36. Kevin Duncan was two ahead of Findlay with 32 to the turn, including an eagle 2 at the seventh, but he needed 38 shots to come home. Kris Nicol, the +4 Fraserburgh amateur, was a late call-off with a back injury. Ironically, it was because the highly-rated Nicol was among the entries that North-east Alliance secretary Ron Menzies, who is organising the Scottish championship, decided to put the field off the blue tees - as far back as you can get at Murcar Links - which made it too long a test into the wind for a large number of the competitors. Some of the longer handicap players in the field were hard pushed at some holes to reach the fairway with their drives off the "tiger tees." Although by modern day standards, Murcar Links is not long - round about 6,500/600yd - off the back tees into a high wind it can play very long, almost the equivalent of a 7,000yd+ course. The highest one-hole score recorded was 13. In fact, the "honour" was shared by two players who shall remain nameless. Ron had the grace to admit later: "I put my hands up. I made a mistake. I should have put them off the White Tees." Unfortunately, because the field changes courses today, Ron cannot switch the Murcar Links play to the White Tees until Thursday when the championship qualifiers all play the No 1 course. Those who played Newburgh today must play off the same tees at those who played Murcar Links today. In the two-girl competition for the "Ladies Prize," international Laura Murray had an 83 at Murcar Links while Sammy (Samantha) Leslie, the Aberdeenshire county champion from Westhill, had an 84 at Newburgh. "I quite liked playing off the blue tees at Murcar Links. It was an experience," said Laura who is a long-hitter. "I just had too many double bogeys." ***Next year's Scottish Alliance championship will be organised by the West of Scotland Alliance who have decided that Buchanan Castle Golf Club will be the venue from October 4 to 6.  If the entry is big enough to warrant the use of a second course, Balfron will be called upon. MURCAR LINKS Par 71 69 T Mathieson (Dunbar). 71 J Fowler (Hayston). 72 G Brown (Montrose Links). 74 A Lockhart (Ladybank). 75 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst). 76 I Graham (Crow Wood). 78 S E Harrold (Ballumbie Castle), N Stewart (Northern). 79 J L S Kinloch (Cardross), P Lamb (Biggar). 80 A K Pirie (Hazlehead), J Thomas (Craibstone), R Harrower (Boat of Garten), G Finlay (Ballumbie Castle), C Alexander (Murcar Links) 81 I Bratton (Newburgh). 83 S Larkin (Royal Aberdeen), Laura Murray (Alford). 84 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon), R Leadley (American Golf). 85 C Cassie (Nigg Bay),  J Duncan (Newburgh), K Beveridge (Inchmarlo), J Forrest (Northern), G Cree (Troon Welbeck). 86 P Brookes (Pitreavie). 87 R Stewart (Tulliallan). 88 P B Kinloch (Cardross), 91 J D Murray (Banchory). 92 D Leslie (Northern). 93 P Morrison (Oldmeldrum). 94 L Sutherland (Ballumbie Castle), C Westland (Alloa), R J S Coupar (Boat of Garten), D Bisset (Banchory). 95 K M Thomson (Alloa), D Randall (Banchory). 96 R Brown (Inverurie). 98 S Kennedy (Craibstone). 99 J Rennie (Dunfermline). 101 J Kinsella (Braemar), D Nelson (Aboyne). 102 A Graham (Crow Wood). 103 S Davidson (Northern), G Homer (Northern). NEWBURGH Par 72 70 J Findlay (Fraserburgh), K Duncan (McDonald Ellon). 72 R Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo). 73 A E Reid (West Lothian), P McKechnie (Braid Hills). 75 G G Wither (Lothianburn), I Buchan (Craibstone), A Bews (Murcar Links), S Lamb (Broomieknowe). 76 A Campbell (Deeside). 77 G Murray (Spey Bay), G Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation). 78 J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen), P McLean (Peterhead). 79 J Hopwood (Carnegie), P W McIntosh (Newburgh), J MacKay (Kilmarnock Barassie). 81 F Clarke (Newmachar), M Forster (Cruden Bay), K Lumsden (Craibstone). 82 A J Webster (Edzell), I Esslemont (Newburgh), C Stewart (Kippie Lodge), R Murray (West Lothian). 83 G Hume (The Duke's), P Guthrie (Peterculter),D MacKay (Caledonian). 84 G Roulston (Stonehaven), Samantha Leslie (Westhill), J White (Harrison), J Craig (Carnoustie).. 85 M Fraser (The Duke's), A Graham (Aboyne). 86 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), D McKay (Newmachar). 87 D Philip (Newburgh), H McNaughton (Cruden Bay). 90 B Lumsden (Northern), G S Brown (Portlethen), V P Ralph (Moray). 91 A Boxx (Boat of Garten). 92 P Jaffray (Duddingston). 94 G Allan (Newmachar), J Crawford (Dunblane New). 96 R Alison (Deeside), D Bingham (Newburgh). 97 J Wilson (Dunfermline), A L Terras (Elie). 98 M Rendall (Stonehaven), A Hume (Troon Welbeck). 100 G Knapp (Muir of Ord), P Cornfield (Auchmill). 107 M Rogers (Kemmay). FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD