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North East Alliance at Craibstone
Thursday 10th November 2011
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
RGU STUDENT GORDON MUNRO BEATS THE PROS IN NE ALLIANCE
 By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com Robert Gordon University student GordonMunro from Fraserburgh headed a North-east Alliance field of 98, which included Tartan Tour pros Greig Hutcheon, Scott Henderson and Lee Vannet (Carnoustie) plus Northern Open champion David Law (Hazlehead), at Craibstone Golf Centre today.
Munro, pictured right, a scratch amateur, was the only player to match the par of 69 over a course where the greens were first-class but the fairways were so wet that Craibstone general manager Billy Sim (who later had a round of 74) said it was "touch and go" in the early morning as to whether or not the course would remain open.
The prospects of Munro scoring his first Alliance win were very remote when he was four over par after six holes, having three-putted twice - for a double-bogey 5 at the short second where he was bunkered and for a bogey 5 at the third. He was also bunkered at the sixth.
But Clark Kent was transformed into Superman after that. Gordon covered the last 12 holes in four under par with birdies at the eighth, 10th, 16th and 17th , coming home in three-under 31. He wedged to 3ft for the eighth hole birdie ... holed from 30ft for a 2 at the short 10th ... got up and down out of a bunker for a 3 at the 17th and wedged to 2ft at the 17th.
"I went to the gym for the first time on Tuesday night and my back was killing me when I woke up this morning and until I warmed up after seven or eight holes," said Munro who has two years to go before he graduates as a quantity surveyor. Rookie pro David Law, off to the Alps Tour School in Italy next week, was runner-up with a 70 (36-34). Bogeys at the second, seventh, eighth and 10th cancelled out his birdies at the third, fourth and 13th.
Tartan Tour No 2 money-winner this year, Greig Hutcheon (Banchory), who double-bogeyed the short 12th. was third on 71 (34-37). Lee Vannet and Scott Henderson had No Returns.
Scott had a triple bogey 7 at the ninth and a double bogey 5 at the 12th before, after birdieing the 14th, he decided to tear up his card at the 15th. Retired Hazlehead professional Ian Smith, who finished in the top 10 of the Centenary Open at St Andrews, plays off 12 in the Alliance these days. He figured on the Class 2 handicap prizelist with a net 70, which was not a bad score considering he had double bogeys at the fourth, 11th and 18th.
"I enjoyed the good holes," said Ian. Royal Aberdeen's Scott Larkin, in his second Alliance outing since his wrist operation put him out of the game since the spring, improved from an 87 at Montrose Links to a 74 at Craibstone. If he keeps that rate of improvement up, goodness knows what he will score at Peterhead next Wednesday! Bill Urquhart (Murcar Links), one-time North-east Alliance champion, had one of the best inward halves of the day - one-under 33, which included a double-bogey 6 at the 11th, after he had gone out in 40 blows. Even better after the turn that Urquhart was Auchmill's Brian Nicolson, who also went out in 40, but came whistling home - well, not exactly whistling - in 32 shots! Kemnay pro David Brown finished on 74 with a triple bogey 7 at the 13th. Newmachar's John Duff, winner at Cruden Bay and runner-up at Montrose, had a 74 today after losing a ball at the 13th not with a wild shot but one he is inclined to think submerged itself on landing on a particularly soft part of the fairway. John, who has graduated from Aberdeen University, is probably going to play the amateur circuit full-time next year to see how he gets on. He has been caddieing at Royal Aberdeen to build up his funds for the venture. Alford's Laura Murray, the only lady in the field, had a 78 which included a quadruple bogey 8 at the eighth ... which was perhaps not surprising as Laura was in the last group to finish on a dreich day and by the time they got to the 18th if not total darkness it was pretty near it. LEADING SCRATCH Par 69. OUT: 4-4-4-5-5-3-3-4-4: 35. IN: 3-4-3-4-4-4-4-4-4: 34
69 Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh)
OUT: 4-5-5-4-5-4-3-3-4: 38. IN: 2-4-3-4-4-4-3-3-4: 31. 70 David Law (Hazlehead).
OUT: 4-4-3-4-5-3-4-5-4: 36. IN: 4-4-3-3-4-4-4-4-4: 34 71 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 34-37.
OUT: 4-3-4-4-6-3-2-4-4: 34. IN: 3-4-5-4-4-5-3-5-4: 37
72 Brian Nicolson (Auchmill) 40-32, Paul McIntosh (Newburgh) 36-36, Graham Mitchell (Braemar) 37-35, Donald McAndrew (Royal Aberdeen) 35-37, Stewart Finnie (Caledonian) 37-35. 73 Euan Kennedy (Newmachar) 37-36, Fraser Clarke (Newmachar) 34-39, Bill Urquhart (Murcar Links) 40-33.
74 Ian Bratton (Newburgh) 37-37, Billy Sim (Craibstone) 38-36, John Duff (Newmachar) 37-37, Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 37-37, David Brown (Kemnay) 35-39.
75 David Fleming (Portlethen) 40-35, Colin Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) 39-36, Phil Morrison (Oldmeldrum) 37-39.
76 David Leslie (Northern) 36-40, John Hamilton (Murcar Links) 41-35, Terry Mathieson (Murcar Links) 38-38, Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) 39-37, Gary Ross (Meldrum House) 40-36, Joel Hopwood (Carnegie Club) 40-36
77 Graeme Nethercott (Deeside) 39-38, George Paterson (Northern) 38-39, Harry Roulston (Stonehaven) 40-37, Paul Simpson (Aboyne) 39-38, John Nicolson (Auchmill) 41-37
78 Craig Carnegie (Kemnay) 37-41, Albert Smith (Turriff) 38-40, David Nelson (Aboyne) 40-38, Manson Merchant (Newmachar) 38-40, Ally Fiddes (Murcar Links) 40-38, David Bisset (Banchory) 40-38, Alan Ross (Deeside) 40-38, Keil Beveridge (Aboyne) 39-39, Laura Murray (Aboyne) 38-40.
79 Tommy Collie (Kemnay) 38-41, Martin May (Cruden Bay) 39-40, Keith Ingram (Deeside) 41-38.
80 John Forrest (Murcar Links) 40-40, Joss Turner (Kemnay) 39-41, Willie McKenzie (Berryhill Driving Range) 39-41, John Borthwick (Craibstone) 40-40.
81 Willie Skene (Deeside) 42-39, Jim Scott (Peterculter) 43-38, Keith Watson (Deeside) 41-40, David Mackay (Newmachar), Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) 41-40
82 Ian D Smith (Hazlehead) 42-40, Alan Gall (Deeside) 41-41, Jackie Forrest (Northern) 41-41.
83 Alister Petrie (Oldmeldrum) 45-38, Hamish McNaughton (Cruden Bay) 43-40, Brian Harper (Newburgh) 43-40, Jim Duncan (Newburgh) 43-40.
84 Charlie Cassie (Nigg Bay) 44-40, Raymond Brown (Newburgh) 38-46.
85 Mike Smith (Inverurie) 42-43
86 Mike Duncan (Murcar Links) 42-44, Alister Graham (Aboyne) 45-41, Phil Murray (Aboyne)
87 Derek Randall (Banchory) 46-41, Chris Adam (Aboyne).
88 Ben Lumsden (Northern) 42-46, Neish Chisholm (Kemnay) 44-44
89 Mike Booth (Kemnay) 46-43, Michael Rendall (Stonehaven) 43-46, Leslie Roger (Royal Aberdeen) 40-49.
90 John Jessiman (Oldmeldrum) 45-45, Chris Brindley (Banchory) 41-49 92 Norman Stewart (Northern) 46-46, Peter Guthrie (Peterculter). 93 David Bingham (Newburgh) 48-45 94 Gary Homer (Northern) (46-48). LEADING HANDICAP Class 1 – G Mitchell (Braemar) (5) 67; P McIntosh (Newburgh) (3), P Morrison (Oldmeldrum) (6) 69; J M Hamilton (Murcar Links) (6), D A Fleming (Portlethen) (5), H Roulston (Stonehaven) (7), B Sim (Craibstone) (4) 70.
Class 2 – T Collie (Kemnay) (11) 68; N K Parker (Murcar Links) (12), M Smith (Inverurie) (16) 69; I D Smith (Hazlehead) (12) 70; J Scott (Peterculter) (10) 71.
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