Reay Golf Club: Norwood shows his talents as a golfer as well as greenkeeper
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The most spectacular performance of the week on the links at Reay came from greenkeeper Jason Norwood.
Norwood’s great work on the course has brought well-deserved praise from members and visitors alike. But, in a break from his duties, he showed he has significant talents with a club in his hands too as he fired a majestic round of gross 66 for a Stableford score of 45 in round two of the Abbott Risk Consulting Summer Cup.
His winning score included no fewer than four birdies, at the fifth, sixth, seventh and 14th holes.
Jimmy Meiklejohn played well to post a score of 40 points, which on any other day would have seen him at the top of the leaderboard, but he had to settle for second with a brace of birdies at the 15th and 17th providing the highlights of his round.
Youngster Arran Johnson was another player on the birdie trail, with his coming at the third, 13th and 15th, and he also finished on a fine tally of 40 points. Willie Steven performed solidly to take fourth place on 39 points, ahead of Andy Bain and Arthur Paton who were next best on 38.
The second and final round of the Dunnett Cup saw another up-and-coming youngster rise to the challenge as Owen Bain fired an impressive round of 85 for nett 67. This, coupled with his fantastic first-round score of nett 61, saw him post a winning aggregate of 128.
After a slow start to round two, he covered the back nine in a mere 39 shots, giving an indication of much more to come over the summer months.
Sandy Chisholm was runner-up in round two after a solid round of 87 for nett 69, finishing ahead of Donald Mowat on nett 70 and Stuart Greig on nett 71.
In the overall standings, Mowat finished second on 137, with Greig third on 139.
The ladies' Mackenzie Cup also saw some fine Stableford scores recorded, with Maggie Fecitt taking the silverware with a great tally of 39 points. A couple of threes at the tough seventh and ninth holes were the cornerstones of an otherwise solid performance.
Rebecca Munro birdied the second and 16th holes on her way to a fine score of 38 points and second place.
Jane Mackenzie continued her good early-season form to finish third on 37, with Alison Ross and Nicola Campbell next best after both finished on a respectable 34 points.
In the latest North Point Distillery Senior Stableford action, John Brock topped the standings with an excellent haul of 40 points, ahead of Jack Johnstone on 39 and Alex Anderson, who birdied the 13th, on 38.
No fewer than four players – David Mackay, Stuart Greig, Sandy Chisholm and Alistair Gunn – were next best on 37.
In the McVitie and Price Texas Pairs competition, the husband-and-wife combination of Jacqui and Stuart Greig secured an excellent victory after a fine round of 69, which included birdies at the fourth and 12th, gave them a winning score of nett 60.
Ian Farquhar and Leslie Malcolm birdied the 13th on their way to a round of 71 for nett 63 and second place, with John O’Brien and John Nicolson taking third after a round of 68 for nett 64, with a brace of birdies at the eighth and ninth thrown in for good measure.
Andy Bain and Willie Steven managed a hat-trick of birdies, at the fifth, 13th and 17th, on their way to a round of 69 for nett 65 and fourth place.
This Saturday will see the Reay gents competing in the Nuvia May Medal, while the ladies will be playing in the Americas Cup competition in Wick. On Sunday the ladies will be back at Reay in round three of their Summer Stableford competition, while the gents will be vying for silverware in the shape of the Beinn Ratha Trophy.
