Thurso players take top places as Reay Senior Open attracts entry of 72
Another busy week saw Reay hosting its annual Senior Open which was sponsored by G G Mackay Ltd. The event welcomed a great entry of 72 golfers from the Highlands and beyond who were treated to a course presented in fantastic condition.
It turned out to be a profitable day for the neighbouring Thurso Golf Club, with the top three places occupied by players from there.
An excellent round of 76, which included a birdie at the 13th, gave Alan Coghill a winning tally of 40 points. A birdie at the fourth helped Stephen Fidler to second on 38 points, while Mikey Ross took third place ahead of Reay’s Alex Anderson on countback after both finished on 37.
Dave Gisbey of the home club and Angus Sutherland from Stromness were next best after finishing on 36, with birdies at the sixth, eighth and 16th helping Sutherland to his tally. The nearest-the-pin prize was claimed by another Thurso member, James A Taylor.
The seniors were also involved in routine club business where a solid performance from Hugh Millar saw him claim victory in the latest North Point Distillery Senior Stableford action on 39 points. Eight pars helped Graham Harness to second place on 39, and Alistair Gunn had a birdie at the sixth on his way to third place on 38.
The nearest-the-pin prize courtesy of the sponsors was won by David A Craig.
The Banks Medal was played in windy conditions but this did not deter Cammie Ross, who birdied the 12th and 13th on his way to a winning score of 77 for nett 68.
An impressive round of 71 for nett 69, which included a birdie at the 14th, saw Michael Smith finish second, with a good inward half helping Murdo Macdonald to third place on 70.
There was some good scoring in round two of the Reay men’s Strokeplay Championship with three players firing rounds of 72 to top the scratch standings. Tyler Gordon fired birdies at the sixth, 13th, 14th and 15th to top the leaderboard and he was joined by Lee Parnell who birdied the eighth, 13th and 16th, and Brent Munro who birdied the sixth and 10th.
In the handicap standings a birdie at the 13th helped James Halliday to a winning score of nett 66. A hat-trick of birdies at the first, 13th and 16th helped John Nicolson to second on nett 68, and a strong inward half saw Arthur Paton finish third on nett 69.
The latest round of the Abbott Risk Consulting Summer Cup was won by Sandy Chisholm after a birdie at the fifth helped him to a round of 82 for 40 points. Joe Wilson took second place on 36 points after an excellent outward half.
A trio of players – Cammie Ross, Calum Satterly and John Nicolson – were next best on 33. A birdie at the 13th helped Ross to his tally, while Satterly managed no fewer than five birdies, at the second, sixth, 10th, 14th and 16th, during his round.
Several members of the Reay ladies’ section competed in the Durness Ladies’ Open on Saturday and it was a successful day for a number of them.
Eleanor Tunn came home with the scratch trophy after an excellent performance gave her a score of 75, while Rebecca Munro won the handicap trophy following a fine round of 81 for nett 71. Pam Bain finished third in the scratch competition after a solid score of 85.
This Saturday will see the annual Reay Men’s Open, sponsored by M2 Procurement and Commercial Services.