NE ALLIANCE REPORT AND SCORES FROM CRUDEN BAY

 HUTCH AND HOPWOOD JOINT WINNERS

OF RON MENZIES MEMORIAL TROPHY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
A double bogey 7 at the 14th was the final nail in the coffin of Paul Lawrie's bid to win three North-east Alliances in a row at Cruden Bay today
Paul's three-over-par 72 (36-36) relegated him to 11th place in a field of 98.

Joint winners on three-under 66 were Tartan Tour supremo Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) and Royal Aberdeen staff professional Joel Hopwood. They each earned £135 and will share the Ron Menzies Memorial Scratch Trophy.
Hutcheon, pictured right, who had taken a complete rest from golf since the Tomatin Tartan Tour event ended on October 2, did very well to shoot as low as he did, given that he lost two balls, one at the first and another at the 18th.
In halves of 33 (two under) and 33 (one under), Hutch had and eagle 3 at the sixth and eight birdies (the third, fifth, eighth, 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th).
He had a double bogey 6 at the first and bogeys at the ninth, 11th, 15th, 17th and 18th.

Greig is now limbering up for the PGA play-offs at Antalya, Turkey at the end of the month. He won the 2013 tournament.
Hopwood, pictured left, paid credit to fellow pro Lee Vannet for "sorting out my swing which was flat and horrible."
Joel said: "Lee's got me swinging much more upright now and my bad shots now don't go so far left or right .... plus the fact that I did hole a few putts today on these excellent Cruden Bay putting surfaces."
Hopwood's 66 had halves of 34-32 that contained birdies at the third, eighth, 10th, 14th and 17th. He bogeyed only the fifth and 13th.
Leading amateur was third-placed Nick Macandrew of Royal Aberdeen. Playing in the fast-fading light at the end of the field, Nick shot a two-under 67 (34-33) which included a double-bogey 6 at the 15th.
Macandrew's birdie-birdie at the 17th and 18th was probably the best finish of the day, given the semi-darkness with which he had to cope.
The best outward half of the day was three-under 32, achieved by young pro Craig Lawrie and by an amateur, former Scottish PGA secretary Michael MacDougall, who now manages the Paul Lawrie Foundation. 
Craig came home in 38 with a triple bogey 7 at the 15th for a 70.
Michael took 45 blows for the inward half and a 77.
Welcome back today to former Newburgh professional Ian Bratton who is now working in the oil industry - and "repairing trolleys" in his spare time, he says. Ian had a 76 in his first Alliance round for more than a year.
Royal Aberdeen two-handicapper Jim Emslie won the Class 1 Ron Menzies Memorial Trophy with a net 67 and Mike Winton (Caledonian), who plays off 12, won the Class 2 trophy, also with a net 67.
It is four years since the former NE Alliance secretary died suddenly on his return from running a tournament at Marrakech, Morocco.

ALL TODAY'S SCRATCH SCORES
Par 69 (35-34)
+SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT THE SCRATCH AND
HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS
66 G Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie GC) 33-33, J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen) 34-32
67 N Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 34-33

69 J Duff (Newmachar) 33-36, P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC) 34-35, J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) 37-32
70 R Stewart (Newburgh) 34-36, C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) 36-34, S Kiloh (Paul Lawrie GC) 35-35, C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) 32-38
72 P Lawrie (Carnegie Club) 36-36 
73 K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC) 36-37, T Robertson (Peterculter) 35-38. 
74 A Campbell (Murcar Links) 38-36, S Finnie (Caledonian) 36-38
75 C Campbell (Trump International) 34-41, M Patterson (Cruden Bay) 34-41, D Leslie (Northern) 37-38
76 K Duncan (Cruden Bay) 38-38, G Craig (Aboyne) 37-39, I Bratton (unatt) 38-38, A Gall (Deeside) 39-37, S Allison (Caledonian) 41-35
77 H Roulston (Stonehaven) 38-39, M Forster (Cruden Bay) 38-39, M MacDougall (Paul Lawrie GC) 32-45, J Duncan (Newburgh) 37-40, G Milne (Newburgh) 37-40, S Mackie (Hazlehead) 37-40
78 A J Smith (Turriff) 37-42, R M cKinnon (Peterculter) 42-36, B Fyfe (Paul Lawrie GC) 41-37
79 G Esson (McDonald Ellon) 37-42, M Winton (Caledonian) 40-39
80 C Cassie (Nigg Bay) 40-40, D Mackay (Hazlehead) 42-38, G Homer (Northern) 42-38, R O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum) 37-43, D Nelson (Aboyne) 41-39.
81 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 41-40
82 I Clark (Deeside) 41-41, Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) 39-43, G Angus (Kemnay) 43-39, W Skene (Deeside) 43-39
83 H McNaughton (Cruden Bay) 40-43
84 B Harper (Newburgh) 43-41, J Hamilton (Murcar Links) 42-42, D Fleming (Portlethen) 38-46, M Duncan (Murcar Links) 41-43
85 C Angus (Kemnay) 46-39
86 L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) 44-42, B Lumsden (Northern) 40-46
87 G Allan (Newmachar) 41-46, J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) 39-48
88 S Lawrie (Portlethen) 40-48, D Bisset (Banchory) 43-45, D McKay (Caledonian) 47-41
89 J Scott (Peterculter) 45-44, P Low (Craibstone) 44-45
90 J Murray (Banchory) 46-44
91 N Stewart (Northern) 44-47 
92 D Townsley (Peterculter) 44-48
93 R Brown (Kemnay) 43-50 
95 J Hosie (Kemnay) 47-48
97 M Rendall (Stonehaven) 44-53
98 A Benton (Kemnay) 51-47
99 S Dillon (Kemnay) 50-49, D Wright (Northern) 51-48
111 I Grant (Kemnay) 55-56 

PRIZEWINNERS
SCRATCH
G Hutcheon, J Hopwood 66; N Macandrew 67; P McLean, J Duff 69.
HANDICAP
Class 1 - J Emslie (2) 67; S Allison (Caledonian) (7), M Forster (Cruden Bay) (8), T Robertson (4) 69; H Roulston (7) 70
Class 2 - M Winton (12) 67; G Homer (10) 70; H McNaughton (12) 71; J Jessiman (14) 73; G Allan (13) 74.  

SELECTED SCORECARDS
Par 69
OUT: 4-4-4-3-4-5-4-4-3: 35
    IN: 4-3-4-3-5-4-3-4-4: 34

GREIG HUTCHEON 66
OUT: 6-4-3-3-3-3--4-3-4: 33
      IN: 3-4-3-2-4-5-2-5-5: 33

JOEL HOPWOOD 66
OUT: 4-4-3-3-5-5-4-3-3: 34
      IN: 3-3-4-4-4-4-3-3-4: 32

NICK MACANDREW 67
OUT: 4-3-4-3-3-5-5-4-3: 34
    IN: 4-3-3-4-4-6-3-3-3: 33

JOHN DUFF 69
OUT: 4-4-4-4-4-4-3-3-3: 33
   IN:  4-3-4-3-5-5-3-4-5: 36

PHILIP McLEAN 69
OUT: 6-4-3-3-4-4-4-3-3: 34
   IN: 4-3-4-2-7-4-3-4-4:  35

CRAIG LAWRIE 70
OUT: 4-5-2-3-4-5-4-3-2: 32 
    IN: 4-3-4-3-6-7-3-4-4: 38 

PAUL LAWRIE 72 
OUT: 4-5-5-3-3-4-5-4-3: 36
   IN: 4-4-4-3-7-4-3-4-3: 36   

MICHAEL MacDOUGALL 77
OUT: 3-5-3-3-5-5-3-3-2: 32
    IN: 4-4-5-3-7-6-3-7-6: 45