Barrie Edmond is looking forward to FIFTH Aberdeen Links title bid next year when
it may become an OPEN championship

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Bon Accord's Barrie Edmond is already   looking forward to an historic FIFTH Aberdeen Links hampionship victory next year when, following the amalgamation of Bon Accord, Caledonian and Northern, there is a growing feeling that 2016 will be the year for the championship to go "open," i.e. the best players in the North-east will be able to enter whether they be members of Murcar Links, Royal Aberdeen, Deeside or wherever.

Edmond, who did not take up golf until he was 14 years of age, joined the small group of the most prolific winners of the Aberdeen Links championship when he won the title for a fourth time tonight.

The 37-year-old Bon Accord member, champion in 2010, 2012 and 2013, beat 21-year-old Northern club champion Liam Minty by 6 and 4 with three-under-par figures.
"I played very steadily and lost only one hole - the fourth - before squaring it at the fifth and then going three up at the turn by winning the seventh, eighth and ninth," said Edmond.
He played the shot of the night - a towering two-iron second to within 3ft of the flagstick at the par-5 seventh.
"I enjoyed that one," said Barrie.
Minty three-putted both the 11th and 12h to go five down and Edmond finished the match by winning the 14th.

"It just wasn't Liam's night but he has age on his side and he has the game to be Aberdeen Links champion, maybe more than once," said Barrie who also mentioned in his victory speech how much the condition of the course had improved in only six or so weeks "under new management."
The last four time winner of the Aberdeen links title was Donald Jamieson between 1981 and 1998. Others who have won the championship four times are Ronnie Grant, between 1966 and 1988, and Alex Reid, between 1933 and 1947.

I suspect that Alex Cruickshank has been Aberdeen Links champion four times. He was definitely the winner in 1984, 2005 and 2006. My records have gaps in them and it could well be that Alex had at fourth title win in one of those "missing" years.

If Alex Cruickshank reads this, perhaps he can get in touch with me to put the records straight.
Thirteen-year-old Brook Smith (Caledonian) won the Murray Cup for longer handicap players for the second year in a row. In a final between two 11-handicappers, Young Smith beat clubmate Duncan MacPherson by 6 and 5,
Smith was two up at the turn and then won the first four holes of the inward half to end the match.
The Handicap Shield competition for lower handicappers was won by Walter Rae, who plays off nine at Northern. Playing in the event for the first time, Rae beat clubmate Graeme Robertson (6) 3 and 2 after winning the 14th to go two up.

The 2015 Aberdeen Links Championship was sponsored by the Kings Links Golf Centre, Famous Grouse Whisky and a bank whose name I did not quite catch!
Quick thinking by Northern GC captain Derek Johnstone at the presentation of prizes averted a faux pas that could have landed the officials in hot water.
All the main trophy winners were being given a bottle of whisky from the sponsors. Brook Smith, only 13 remember, came up to receive the Murray Cup, and it was an interjection by Derek that saved the day ... "He's too young ... don't give him the bottle of whisky!"
Results of this evening's finals
SCRATCH

B Edmond (Bon Accord) bt L Minty (Northern) 6 and 4.

HANDICAP SHIELD

W Rae (Northern) (9) bt G Robertson (Northern) (6) 3 and 2.

MURRAY CUP

 B Smith (Caledonian) (11) bt D MacPherson (11) 6 and 5.

 Three Links aces (left to right) Handicap Shield winner Walter Rae, Scratch champion Barrie Edmond and 13-year-old Brook Smith, winner of the Murray Cup for the second year in a row. Pictures by Cal Carson Golf Agency.