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Thurso player clinches final Alliance prize


By SPP Reporter

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Pictured following the last fixture of the North Golf Alliance at Dornoch are (from left): Francis Keith (Durness), MacKintosh Salver runner-up, David Dunbar (Thurso), MacKintosh Salver winner, and Tony Gill, Alliance secretary, presenting the Alliance Qu
Pictured following the last fixture of the North Golf Alliance at Dornoch are (from left): Francis Keith (Durness), MacKintosh Salver runner-up, David Dunbar (Thurso), MacKintosh Salver winner, and Tony Gill, Alliance secretary, presenting the Alliance Qu

NOT for the first time, but for the last this season, when the final fixture of the North Golf Alliance was played over Royal Dornoch’s world-rated championship course last Sunday, Thurso pair Bryan Ronald and Dougie Thorburn shared the best scratch returns.

The winter course at Dornoch is considerably shorter than its summer length but its par for the 5363 yards remains the same at 70 (35/35).

Thorburn cut the outward half of 2796 yards down to 33 shots with birdies at the seventh and ninth holes but his finishing gross 72 was hampered with four bogeys over the final six holes for an inward 39.

The highlight of Ronald’s card in an outward level-par 35 was an eagle two at the 260-yard eighth hole, driving the green and holing the putt. His two-under-par eighth-hole advantage was given back to the course with a double bogey five at the first of the inward holes and was quickly followed by another dropped stroke. However, picking up a birdie against the card at the 15th hole, he was home in 37 for his 72 and on the second-half countback ended his season with a first scratch place.

But Thorburn, with six first places out of nine events and his four lowest scores totalling up to 281, carried away for the first time the Alliance Quaich after being second 12 months ago. Ronald was in a tie for second place on 289 with Tain’s Mike Sangster but the Thurso member lost out on the runner-up voucher on a best individual score outwith his home county. Sangster’s early season gross 70 at Thurso bettered that of the Thurso member’s winning 72 at Dornoch.

Thurso Golf Club members doubled up on the individual trophies when David Dunbar won the MacKintosh Salver for four best nett scores. Again there was a tie, Francis Keith (Durness) was matched on 273 by Dunbar who lowered his previous total by two from his nett 70 at Dornoch where the Durness player did not improve his total. The same away scores separating rule was applied but Keith was disadvantaged with only a 68 at Invergordon amongst his four counting scores while Dunbar recorded a 68 at Brora and then a 69 at Tarbat.

With the foundation laid by their three low handicap players – Dunbar nett 70, Ronald nett 70 and Thorburn nett 73 – it only required a nett 74 from Gregor Munro to confirm Thurso would retain the team Alliance Shield with a total of 287. Joint runners-up were Tain and Reay on 289.

Tarbat greenkeeper Mike Keay had the best nett return of the day, a 67 off six, at Dornoch to head the low handicap returns. In second place came Dunbar with Wullie McLean, from Wick, improving on previous finishes in class two to a first place at Dornoch with nett 70, off 15 in the next handicap section.

Results – Scratch: 72 B. Ronald (Thurso) (35/37), D. Thorburn (Thurso) (33/39); 73 S. Morrison (Pro) (Tain) 36/37, M. Keay (Tarbat) (35/38); 75 D. Dunbar (Thurso) (37/38).

Handicap class one: M. Keay (Tarbat) (6) 67; D. Dunbar (Thurso) (5) 70; W. Mowat (Reay) (6); R. Lockie (Tain) (9); S. Sutherland (Bonar-Ardgay) (7) 71.

Class two: W. McLean (Wick) (15) 70; A. Mackay (Reay) (10) 71; A. Melville (Tain) (11); I. Ross (Reay) (11) 71.


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