Runner-up returns to Royal Dornoch to win Carnegie Shield
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Twelve months have passed since Forbes (26) tasted defeat in a final where he was the better player, so when he got a second bite at the cherry he did not pass up the opportunity.
In the final, Forbes came up against Dornoch leading qualifier Jorg Paulus who works and lives in Copenhagen but is of German birth.
Paulus scored 68 and 77 in the qualifying rounds and if he been a member of Royal Dornoch would have won the Silver Medal but, confined to members, this went to Chris Mailley for a fourth time after his cards of 75 and 73.
Paulus was quickly installed as favourite when he beat the last local and 2010 winner Alex MacDonald on the 17th green in the semi-final.
Forbes arrived in the final by a similar route to 12 months ago, once again beating an Inverness club-mate in the semi-final, Stewart Wilson, the last Shield winner to have back to back wins in 1998 and 1999.
Forbes became the fifth Inverness Golf Club member to have his name on the Carnegie Shield since the resumption of the competition after World War II.
A local face was guaranteed in the final of the Class 2 handicap section for the E C Fraser Trophy. Grant Mackay (16 handicap) had beaten former club captain Jim Campbell in the semi-final but not before Campbell had put up a marvellous recovery from being four behind with just five holes left, extending the game to the final green.
Mackay, in receipt of eight strokes in the final against Alan Botterill (Sandy Lodge), led for most of the way until a run of three losses over the 12th 13th and 14th holes put him two behind.
With a stroke allowance, Mackay’s nett three won the 16th hole to get closer but with the next hole halved, Botterill took the final hole to win by two.
Semi-final and final results:
Carnegie Shield – J P Paulus (Sollerod, Denmark) beat A MacDonald (RDGC) 2&1. J Forbes (Inverness) beat S Wilson (Inverness/RDGC) 4&3. Forbes beat Paulus 4&3.
Davidson Trophy – L M Smith (Northamptonshire County) beat R Yates (Wisley) 3&2. K MacGillivray (Palm Springs) beat N MacLeod 6&5. Smith beat MacGillivray at 20th.
E C Fraser Trophy – G Mackay (RDGC) beat J M Campbell (RDGC) 1 hole. A Botterill (Sandy Lodge) beat R E Sheffield 1 hole. Botterill beat Mackay 2 holes.
