Lyle wins first major

Lyle McAlpine wins open

AFTER ending his junior golf career last season with a clutch of titles as an under 18 year old, the North District Boy's championship and junior and senior club champion at Royal Dornoch, which he has now nominated as his home club.

Invergordon bred Lyle McAlpine made an immediate transgression to youth level (18 to 21), when he became the first Ross shire golfer to win a Scottish Golf Union title winning at his first attempt the Scottish Youth's stroke-play championship at Paisley last weekend.

In contention from the first round over the hilly West of Glasgow course with a level par 71 a second round repeat score put him into joint overnight lead with Greig Marchbank (Dumfries) and Grant Forrest (Craigielaw).

When Sunday's play was reduced to just one round because of the weather it was the Highlander who coped best in the storm to return a three under par 68 and win by three from Marchbank and Simon Fairburn (Torwoodlie) saying afterwards, “This is by far my best win to date” as he joined the names of leading Scots professionals Stephen Gallagher and Martin Laird on the trophy. The only other North winner of this event was Elgin's Joel Hendry who enjoyed back to back wins in 1999 and 2000.

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