Three-way tie at Torvean
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TORVEAN hosted the latest North Scottish Golfer’s Alliance fixture and the courses fine winter condition helped to produce excellent scores, including a three-way tie in the scratch section.
Boat of Garten professional Ross Harrower shared the leading scratch score of two under par 67 with two amateurs — John Campbell (Grantown-on-Spey) and Alan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie).
Harrower compiled an outward half of 32, one better than Campbell and Cameron, who made up the stroke difference over the final nine holes.
Cameron matched the 67 with a birdie at the final hole for his best finish of the season, while Campbell, after a share of first place at Boat of Garten last November, took a bogey five on the 18th for his 67, which cost him an outright win. He did, however, improve his six round aggregate score by five shots.
In the race for the KM Cameron Trophy, Cameron got to within one of his stipulated six rounds and with the next two fixtures played over the familiar Ross-shire venues of his home course and then Muir of Ord, he has the opportunity to make up ground on the leader Bryan Fotheringham, who returned a 73 at Torvean.
The leading handicap score in the class one category was returned by Dave Johnston (Moray), a nett 66 off five, one better than Duncan McGrouther (Inverness).
Local member Mike Lyall got his fifth score of the season recorded for the class two aggregate handicap trophy and his winning best of the day, nett 60, off 13, takes him into the mix for the Billy McQuillan Trophy.
Meanwhile, the previous week’s Spey Bay abandoned fixture has been rescheduled for Saturday 22nd February, while the one at Forres, postponed due to frost in November, will now be played on Saturday 15th March. Tomorrow’s fixture is at Fortrose and Rosemarkie.
Scores from Torvean were as follows:
Scratch — R. A. L. Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), J. S. D. Campbell (Grantown-on-Spey), R. Harrower (Boat of Garten) 67; J. A. Grant (Grantown-on-Spey), G. H. Hay (Grantown-on-Spey) 70; D Johnston (Moray) 71; B. J. Thomson (Torvean), K. Mackay (Inverness), G. Mackenzie (Moray) 72; D. McGrouther (Inverness), M. Lyall (Torvean), G. A. Hay (Nairn Dunbar), B. Fotheringham (Inverness), J. Shaw (Boat of Garten) 73; D. D. Bunker (Nairn Dunbar), S. Chisholm (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), S. Dingwall (Grantown-on-Spey), N. MacWilliam (Elgin), R. Stewart (Nairn Dunbar), D. F. Sharp (Boat of Garten), J. Simpson (Forres) 74; L. Reid (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), J. Wright (Forres), W. Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), S. Mullen (Elgin), W. R. Duncan (Moray), D. Joel (Inverness), R. Fraser (Inverness) 75; D. Gordon (Inverness), G. Allan (Nairn Dunbar), I. Murray (Boat of Garten) 76; S. Wilson (Inverness), K. Williamson (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), J. Treasurer (Inverness), D. Hector (Elgin), A. Imrie (Muir of Ord) 77; D. Pitchforth (Nairn Dunbar), P. Matheson (Grantown-on-Spey), A. W. Mair (Moray), G. Hamilton (Moray); W. B. Johnston (Moray), J. K. England (Moray), A. Macintosh (Torvean), R. H. Stewart (Torvean) 79; J. Glass (Torvean), A. Waterson (Boat of Garten), R. Mackie (Rothes) 80.
Handicap section one (seven and under) — D Johnston (5) 66; D. McGrouther (6) 67; W. R. Duncan(6), D. F. Sharp (5), G. Mackenzie (3) 69. Handicap section two (eight to 14) — M. Lyall (13) 60; W. B. Johnston (10), G. Hamilton (9) 69; C. Small (Nairn) (12) 70; I. Turner (Boat of Garten) (14), R Mackie (9) 71.
RUSSELL Knox finished joint 27th in the AT&T National Pro-Am tournament at Pebble Beach, California, last weekend.
For his efforts, the Inverness golfer earned $46,860, which brings his earnings from eight starts as a rookie professional on the US PGA Tour to $425,178, helping him climb to 50th on the money list.
The 28-year-old, based at Jacksonville Beach, Florida, since his four years as a student at Jacksonville University ended, has now stated that he will come over to Royal Aberdeen for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in July if he has safely secured by then his US PGA Tour card for 2015.
Knox has not played as a professional in Scotland. He was invited to last year’s Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, but declined to concentrate on earning his US PGA tour card.
FORTROSE and Rosemarkie are in the running to land two of the prizes on offer at this year’s Scottish Golf Awards, which take place later this month.
The £1500 first prize for RBS junior club of the year will be contested between Fortrose and Rosemarkie, Bathgate, Peebles and Prestonfield after each enjoyed a landmark year in attracting youngsters to the game.
Competition for the volunteer of the year award features the club’s Alastair Tait, who will go up against Dundas Parks’ Jim Cowper, Liz Taylor, from Prestonfield, and Thornton member Fraser McDonald as they all vie for the £500 prize for reinvestment into their clubs, plus £100 to use personally.
