Alliance send off Galloway by competing for his trophy

Mar 5 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

ALLIANCE members were on the course at Dunfermline last midweek but there was a melancholic atmosphere as it was also the funeral day of 98-year-old member and stalwart Tom Galloway.

Tom’s family were happy for the Alliance to be played as they paid their last respects in the clubhouse and, fittingly, the trophy up for grabs was the Tom Galloway Trophy.

It was all very unusual but Tom, the enthusiast that he was, would have wanted things to go on uninterrupted.

West Lothian had its usual success stories in there too, as Andy Rothney of Deer Park dropped a shot over the last few holes and failed to capitalise on the downwind par fives in the process and still managed to tie for top spot on 71 with pros Terry Mathieson of King’s Acre and David Patrick of Elie.

Patrick got into the triple tie by eagling at the last.

Rothney lost out on the Trophy on a countback too.

He was pipped by West Linton’s Peter Sewell (8) which is the third time this has happened to the Carmondean scratch golfer this winter.

Also in the share of top handicap honours was Ian Fyfe (2) of Musselburgh.

There was prize money for a couple of Pumpherston players as well, as Colin Rae (7) and Alan Devlin (13) tied fourth on 73 net, while Greenburn pro, the long-hitting Scott Catlin, had a 73 for a share of fourth in the scratch section.

The Orders of Merit are looking pretty good for the West Lothian contingent despite David Patrick running away with the scratch one, well ahead of big Houstoun Driving Range pro Andy Marshall in second spot.

Bathgate’s Stuart Callan is in fourth place with Rothney right behind in fifth.

But in the handicap table Deer Park Champion John Kerr is top though the leading five are covered by only a few points so anything could happen there.

Clubmate Rothney is fourth while Colin Rae is the only other West Lothian name in the top 10, at ninth.

With some Siberian confetti forecast for this midweek it was still debatable whether the next Alliance would go ahead at Duddingston.

Something on that next time if the weather holds up for the troops.