HIGHLAND TOURNAMENT ROUND-UP

DAVID JOEL WINS ABDUL GHANI CUP

BY TWO STROKES IN TAIN 36-holer

ROBIN WILSON REPORTS

The pipe opener to the start of the multi-sponsored Tain Golf Week was the men's Balblair Distillery 36 hole open last Saturday which attracted an entry of over sixty and the competition was dominated in the scratch section by visiting golfers.

Local backmarker Alan Cameron went into an almost match-play situation with his playing partner David Joel (pictured above by Robin with the trophy)  in round two but, after a second round 18 hole tussle, had to give way to the Inverness member who proceeded to win the old established Abdul Ghani Cup with cards of 71 and 67.

It was another Inverness member, Laurie Chancellor who led after the first round with a one under par 69 (36-33) his inward card featuring birdies at the 14^th and 16^th holes.
 Teenager Connor Toal (Old Ranfurly), who will be taking part in next week's Boys' Amateur Championship over his home course and Dundonald Links next week, was just one back with 70 before the first local challenge came in the form of James Cameron who covered his inward nine holes in 34 for 71 to take second spot with Joel.

Chancellor and Toal fell out of contention when playing in the worsening afternoon conditions but Cameron, winner of the recent Black Isle 36 holer, who had opened with a 72, fell further behind   after Joel began his second round with a birdie 3. The gap widened to four shots when Joel got to three under par with further birdies on the third and ninth holes for a super outward count of 32.

Cameron came home in 33 to add to his first nine 35 for 68 but Joel's level par par inward card of 35 for 67 secured first scratch place and the cup with gross 138 while Cameron had to settle for second place on 140.  
Local Cameron repeated his first round halves of 37 and 34 for another 71 and third place but in the voucher ranking value moved to second handicap with a nett 132, off 5.

In round two Lyle McAlpine, a first time Tain club champion at the beginning of the month, had  lost some of his shine from a first round inward half count of 39 for 74.  
But in round two he was back to his championship best with an outward two under par 33 before the second nine again let him down beginning for home, bogey, double bogey, and  finishing bogey, bogey for 38 and 71. However it took the Invergordon based member into third place ahead of Chancellor (69/77), and then local Munro Ferries, followed with 73 and 74 for 147. 

Winning the Rutherford Trophy with the overall nett aggregate of 131 was the former Tain Club Captain, Rob Hudson who with his ten handicap showed ultimate consistency with gross rounds of 75 (39/36) and 76, his final three holes, birdie, par, birdie.  
Charlie Finlayson, the local  handicap club champion making a successful  return to golf after several years away from the game and now playing off 11, claimed third place following two solid nett 67s for 134, before the younger McAlpine brother, Corey, came fourth and Seann Sutherland the final fifth place.

Tain 36 Hole Open Results
CSS home 71 and 72. Visitors 72 and73
SCRATCH
 Abdul Ghani Trophy
138 D Joel (Inverness) 71 67. 
140 R A L Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 72 68. 
145 L McAlpine (Tain) 74 71. 
146 L Chancellor (Inverness) 69 77. 
147 M Ferries (Tain) 73 74. 
HANDICAP
Rutherford Trophy
R Hudson (Tain) (10) 131. J Cameron (Tain) (5) 132 C Finlayson (Tain) 134. C McAlpine (Tain) (6), S Sutherland (Tain) (7) 139.    

On Sunday there followed an 18 hole open sponsored by Glenmorangie Distillery and their trophy and two more cups and trophies were won by home club members.

First up was Donald Mackay winning the Senior Morrich Trophy with nett 71, off 9, then Robert Bankes collected the Gardiner Trophy in the high handicap section with a nett 71 off 25. Completing the Tain hat-trick was Calum Hughes who won the scratch David Innnes Trophy in this section.

First piece of silverware to go outside the club was the Morangie Trophy for the best nett in Class 1, 69 off 9, by Ian MacDonald (Murcar Links)  before Gary Ross of Strathpeffer Spa stepped forward to  receive the Beveredge Cup for the competition's best scratch score, a 77.