DONALD MACKAY MEMORIAL EVENT RAISES £400 FOR HEART FOUNDATION

Robin Wilson's picture from the Brora presentation. Centre:  Ken Lorimer, Brora GC captain and Trophy winner, with family of the late Donald Mackay - left to right- John Sutherland (brother in law), Karen (Donald's widow), Jillian Mackay (daughter) and Elspeth Wilson (sister) 

By ROBIN WILSON

From a record entry of 67 for the Donald Mackay Memorial Trophy competition at Brora, the magnificent sum of £400 was raised for the British Heart Foundation.

Over the nine years since the sudden heart failure of the Highland League footballer who as a mid field general graced the  colours of Brora Rangers and Ross County, Brora Golf Club have been very supportive of his golfing pals who organise his competition every year. 

It was most  appropriate that the ninth winning name to go onto the football trophy was that of the current Brora club captain Ken Lorimer.

Even with the distraction of the Premier League fixture at Victoria Park, where Donald's last club Ross County were playing Aberdeen, several Ross-shire golfers from Muir of Ord, Invergordon and Tain Golf Clubs still made the pilgrimage to Brora, one of them, plus one handicapper and present holder of the Carnegie Shield,  John Forbes.   

While Forbes did not add the distinctive Liverpool Football - Donald was a great Liverpool supporter - to his Carnegie winner's medal he did manage to come close to the Brora 15-hole par score of 56 with a sweep money-winning card of 57.

In line with the custom of the Open Championships'  Claret Jug, the winner's name was added to the football by local artist Shirley Maclean before the presentation

The local club captain was a worthy addition after he bettered par with a nett 55 using his nine-stroke handicap allowance.

Lorimer's round could not have begun better, a holed second shot for an eagle 2 at the first hole on his way to a one over par outward seven-hole count of 28. The back nine on the shortened course begins with a par three to the 11^th green and after securing his second three of the round he added another at the short 13^th hole to offset a run of dropped strokes from the 14^th to 17^th before finding his final par three on the closing hole.   

His gross total of 64, nett 55 , won by one stroke from a group of four that included  local youth Alistair MacDonald junior, Brora club champion James MacBeath, Paul Austin (Tain), and one one of the few women  golfers who took part, Lesley Beaney (Brora).

Beaney showed some great form at the par three holes, winning TWO of the closest to the pin prizes on offer at the 11^th and 13^th holes while her local club mate Angela Grant took this extra prize at the final hole.   

Winning the men's novelty prizes were Ian Hamilton (Brora) 11^th hole, Alan Innes (Invergordon) 13^th hole, and Peter Etheridge (Brora) 18^th hole.. 

As boys Roddie Cameron and Donald Mackay played together in the Golspie school football teams and on the golf course so there was just a hint of friendly derision from the Brora contingent when Golspie also enlisted another exile golfer, Darren Hexley (Muir of Ord ) to help them win for the first time the team competition played between the to neighbouring clubs. 

Golspie's others, William MacBeath, Colin Sutherland, Steve Doogan and Alister MacDougall  really savoured the moment.

Competition Scores

Scratch

57 J Forbes (Muir of Ord) 27-30, J G MacBeath (Brora) (26-31). 

60 R S Cameron (Brora) 29-31, C Stewart (Brora) 29-31, D Hexley (Muir of Ord) 26-34.

61 G Grant (Brora), P Austin (Tain). 

62 A J Wilson (Brora), I Stewart (Brora), R J Wilson (Brora).

Handicap

Donald Mackay Trophy – K Lorimer (Brora) (9) 55; L Beaney (Brora (10),  A J MacDonald (Brora) (8), P Austin (Tain) (5) 56; C Stewart (Brora) (3), G Grant (Brora) (4), A J Wilson (Brora) (5) , B Syms (Muir of Ord) (8), R J Wilson (Brora) (5), J Moyes (Muir of Ord) (13) 57.