John Forbes wins Carnegie Shield
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ON the conclusion of a wind and rain affected 103rd Carnegie Shield week at Royal Dornoch last Saturday, the name of the 2012 winner John Forbes (Inverness) was added to the magnificent trophy for a second time.
Forbes capped a successful year that has propelled him to the top of the North District Order of Merit table, with a final green win over Ian Brotherston (Dumfries and County).
Brotherston played for Scotland in the early ’80s and now concentrates on the Scottish Senior Tour where he sits 11th in its merit rankings.
The competition got underway seven days earlier with the first qualifying round to get into the match-play stages of the E C Fraser Trophy (higher handicap section).
Doubts were raised whether play was possible in gale force conditions but with no better forecast for the second round on Monday out they went.
On both days numerous three figure cards were handed in, but give great credit to hardy, 77-year-old American Tom McCutcheon from the Old Hawthorn GC (Missouri) who qualified,
He battled all the way to play in the final against Embo teenager. Connor Mackay. The youngster was the winner by 4&3. Conditions eased on Tuesday and local member Bryan Urquhart was able to break par with a 68 and added a second round 73 for 141 to lead the qualifiers into the shield match-play and winner of the silver medal.
The lower handicap Davidson Trophy cut fell at 159, the holder, Richard Sutherland (Brora), making it through but quickly releasing his grip on the trophy in the first round.
Golspie’s Monaco based member, Billy Melville, following a scratch qualifying place at Brora the previous week followed up with a place in the Davidson matchplay and then won through
to the last four where he lost to the eventual winner.
Another voucher went Melville’s way when in a supplementary round for competitors on his Golspie golf course he had the most stableford points.
With the silver medallist and leading scratch qualifier beaten in round three and the two remaining home hopes Chris Mailley and Iain Rennie, losing in the quarter-finals, only Forbes as a previous winner was in the Saturday morning semi-finals of the Shield.
Brotherston had disposed of Jack Brooks Pleasington GC near Disbury by 2&1 and Forbes beat Andy Inglis (Roehampton) by 3&2 in the semis.
The small gallery following the final saw the man from the Borders, who has been coming to the shield for a number of years make the ideal start of winning the first hole with birdie three. But his lead only lasted one hole after bunkering his tee shot to the par three second green.
With holes exchanged freely over the outward half, Forbes’s first birdie came on the par five ninth hole to see the 2012 winner start the inward half all-square.
The ever rising wind would be a telling factor over the back nine and it was Forbes who struck first with par on the 11th hole. Bunkered at the par three 13th, Brotherston saved his par and won the hole to level up again before once more taking the lead with a fine par putt on "Foxy", the 14th. The same player holed from some distance for his second birdie of the round on the next green but Forbes matched it from much closer.
It proved a vital half for the Inverness golfer who was able to reach the 16th green with an iron to draw level once more. Both had makable putts on the 17th green but only Forbes found the final green in regulation, Brotherston pulling to the left, and with his two putt par four Forbes became a two-time winner.
The final of the Davidson Trophy was an all American affair between Kirk Stark from Poppy Hills GC (California) and Adrian Easterbrook of Two Fairways GC (Los Angles).
Stark beat Melville 4&3 and Easterbrook beat 17-year-old local Graeme Bethune on the 17th green. In the final Stark prevailed on the 16th green.
Carnegie Shield semi-finals: I Brotherston (Dumfries and County) beat J Brooks (Pleasington, Disbury) 2&1. J Forbes (Inverness) beat A Inglis (Roehampton) 3&2. Final – Forbes beat Brotherston 1 up.
Davidson Trophy Class 1: K Stark (Poppy Hills) (4) beat W Melville (Golspie) (6) 4&3. A Easterbrook (Two Fairways) (4) beat G Bethune (RDGC) (5) 2&1. Final – Stark beat Easterbrook 3&2.
E C Fraser Trophy Class 2: T McCutcheon (Old Hawthorn) (11) beat A Godfrey (Crieff/RDGC) (10) 1 hole. C MacKay (RDGC) (11) beat W Fleming (Mill Ride) (10) 7&6. Final – MacKay beat McCutcheon 4/3.
