'Lost ball' drama hands Brora seniors title to Gerald
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Klein’s two over par six on the 17th hole and a five at the par three final hole in most cases would have been a drawback when it came to the card play-off with the host club vice-captain Jimmy Murray who had the same nett score. But Murray was robbed of a winning score at the 15th hole when another competitor inadvertently picked up his ball.
The club office bearer had no option but to declare his first ball as lost and return to the tee to put another ball in play. With it he ran up a triple bogey score of seven to raise what was proving to be a fine inward card to 38, nett 33½. He then felt cheated when he lost the countback score by half a shot.
Klein came home in gross 43 and nett 33 with his half full handicap taken off.
Just six days after scoring a 74 in the county championship, Panmure and Royal Dornoch’s Dougal Chalmers returned the lowest gross score of the day when he matched the CSS with a 71 (35/36) to leave local Michael Mackintosh, who was making his senior debut, in second place on 74 (36/38).
Murray lost the cup to the Durness visitor but won the Class 1 handicap section with nett 69.
In Class 2, Golspie’s Robert Beaton – at over 80 probably the oldest competitor in the field – broke his handicap with nett 69. Again the cards had to be compared and Beaton, who shared a 69 with local 15-handicapper Alister MacLennan, came out best.
n The Brora course is the venue for two events this weekend honouring the course designer, James Braid,
On Saturday, the gentlemen play a 36-hole competition for the James Braid Trophy and on Sunday co-sponsors The Links Apartments host an 18-hole open mixed foursomes competition.
The men’s scratch trophy in the Braid event is the Howey Cup and has been won for the past two years by Royal Dornoch’s Chris Mailley. The first-time winner of the Braid Trophy, sponsored by the James Braid Society, was local society member Shaun Ashe.
Unfortunately, Sunday’s mixed event clashes with the Ross-Sutherland women’s inter-club team competition.
The women’s event has always fallen on the same weekend as the North area men’s county championships, but with the Ross-shire championship played this year at Fortrose and Rosemarkie on 9th June, the women’s club event was held over and Fortrose offered only Sunday, 24th June, for it to be played.
As a result of the local mixed event, Brora has been unable to send a team to compete at Fortrose where Tain Golf Club will, as ever, be expected to reign.
Results
Seniors Cup G. Klein (Durness) (20) 69 (bih).
Scratch 71 D. Chalmers Panmure 71 74 M. Mackintosh Brora. Handicap Class 1 – P. Murray (Brora) (9) 69 J. Hunter Wick (5) 71. Class 2 – R. I. Beaton (Golspie) (14) 70 (bih). A. MacLennan (Brora) (14) 70.
