CRAIG LAWRIE WINS N E ALLIANCE WITH A 66 AT BANCHORY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Craig Lawrie scored his first outright win, following two joint successes, in today's (Wed) North-east Golfers' Alliance competition at Banchory Golf Club which escaped the rain that was widespread in Aberdeenshire.

Lawrie, pictured, won the £160 top prize by heading a field of 97 competitors with a bogey-free, three-under-par round of 66, which included 3ft birdie putts at the fifth and 11th and a chip-in birdie 3 at the 17th in halves of 32 and 34.
"I played nice and solidly, could have had a few more birdies but can't complain," said 22-year-old Craig, who finished a stroke ahead of cousin Sean Lawrie and Patrick McKenna who earned £125 each.
A fourth Paul Lawrie Golf Centre player, Sam Kiloh, came fourth on 68 and earned £80 despite a double bogey at the short ninth.
Sean Lawrie did well to get so close to the winner as he double bogeyed the first hole and dropped a third stroke at the second. He had seven birdies and two bogeys over the remaining 16  holes for a 67.
McKenna achieved his highest Alliance finish so far with four birdies and two bogeys in halves of 35 and 32.
A triple bogey 7 at the 13th, where he went out of bounds, took the wind out of Chris Robb's sails. The Banchory-based former Scottish amateur champion, now a Meldrum House-attached pro finished with a 72. It was his first outing on the NE Alliance circuit for a year or two but Robb, who plays all over Europe on various mini-tours, intends to be more or less an Alliance regular until the 2018 season.
Gordon Munro, who plays off +3 at Newmachar, won the £50 voucher as leading amateur with a 69.
The winners of the three Ron Menzies Memorial trophies were Craig Lawrie (scratch), Alfie Smith (Turriff) (Class1) and Mike Tough (Banchory) (Class 2).

ALL THE SCRATCH SCORES

par 69
66 C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC)
67 S Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC), P McKenna (Paul Lawrie GC)
68 S Kiloh (Paul Lawrie GC)
69 P McLean (Peterhead), J Duff (Newmachar), G Munro (Newmachar)
70 A Smith (Turriff)
71 Laura Murray (Kippie Lodge)
72 A Ramage (Banchory), C Robb (Meldrum House)
73 R Reid (Tarland), D Templeton (Murcar Links), F Bisset (Banchory), B Fyfe (Paul Lawrie GC), D Buchan (Peterhead).
74 R Blackmore (Tarland)
75 A Gall (Deeside), S Finnie (Caledonian), J Pirie (Hazlehead), S Hanson (Paul Lawrie GC).
76 A Graham (Aboyne), D Craigie (Portlethen), B Ritchie (Inverallochy).
77 J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen), D McLean (Kemnay), R Sinclair (Kintore), C Nelson (Mackenzie Golf).
78 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), D Lane (Deeside), C Duffus (Royal Aberdeen), J Nicolson (Hazlehead), J Borthwick (Craibstone)
79 M Tough (Banchory), R McNeill (Westhill)
80 D Booth (Tarland), D Townsley (Peterculter), J Calder (Newmachar), G Burnett (Westhill), P Cheyne (Northern), J Sunley (Newmachar)
81 T Boyle (Portlethen), S Shand (Kemnay), D Nelson (Aboyne)
82 B Lumsden (Northern), M Forster (Cruden Bay), J Hosie (Kemnay), I Still (Craibstone).
83 P Robertson (Westhill),  M Duncan (Murcar Links), W Skene (Deeside)
84 S Christie (Aboyne), M Lawrie (Kemnay), R Denning (Inverurie)
85 R Duncan (Deeside), N K Parker (Murcar Links), G Allan (Newmachar)
87 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), D Lawrie (Deeside), J Stewart (Banchory)
89 D Bisset (Banchory)
90 L Duncan (Craibstone), T Collie (Kemnay), P Cornfield (Hazlehead)
91 R Wright (Northern), A B Clark (Newmachar), P Low (Craibstone). 
92 R Coupar (Inverallochy), E Riley (Craibstone)
93 R Brown (Kemnay)
94 S Davidson (Kemnay)
98 M Brown (Kemnay)

PRIZEWINNERS
SCRATCH
66 C Lawrie £160.
67 S Lawrie, P McKenna £115 each
68 S Kiloh £80
69 P McLean, J Duff £30
LEADING AMATEUR
69 G Munro £50 voucher
HANDICAP
Vouchers
Class 1 
65 A Smith £80. 68 M Merchant bih £70, R Reid bih £60, A Gall bih £50, D Templeton £40.
Class 2 
65 M Tough £80. 68 S Ross bih £70, D Lane bih £60, D Townsley bih £50, M MacKay £40

TOP SCORECARDS
CRAIG LAWRIE 66
OUT: 4-3-3  4-3-5  3-4-3  32 (-1)
   IN:  5-3-3  4-4-5  3-3-4  34 (-2)

SEAN LAWRIE 67
OUT: 6-4-2  4-3-5  4-3-3  34 (+1)
    IN: 5-3-4  4-3-4  3-4-3  33 (-3)

PATRICK McKENNA 67
OUT: 4-4-3  3-4-5 2-4-3  32 (-1)
   IN: 5-4-3  4-4-4  3-5-3  35 (-1)

SAM KILOH 68
OUT:  4-3-3  4-3-5  3-4-5  34 (+1)
    IN:  5-3-3  4-4-4  3-4-4  34 (-2)

PHILIP McLEAN 69 (33-36)
Birdies: 7th, 10th, 15th.
Bogeys: 1st, 14th, 18th

JOHN DUFF 69 (34-35)
Birdies: 11th and 14th.
Bogeys: 2nd and 12th.