Farewell to miserable golfing season 2009

Oct 1 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

IT has been a very windy week as golfers in the area play in the final events of the 2009 season, a pretty miserable one for weather.

Indeed the Third Class County Championship scheduled for June has only just been completed, at Pumpherston.

And the Edinburgh and East of Scotland Alliance has had its first outing of their winter season, a sure sign that greenkeepers are out digging up greens and making life misery for players for a few weeks at least.

At Pumpherston it was two players from just across the road at Uphall who topped the leaderboard – and they weren't even included in the Uphall team of three on the day.

Result: B O'Connell (Uphall) 85, I Wemyss (Uphall) 86, J Hamill (Bathgate) 87, P McGhee (Harburn) 87, S Stanton (Harburn) 87, J King (Pumpherston) 88, R Brown (Pumpherston) 88.

Team – Harburn: McGhee, Stanton and J Barkey.

CSS was up three from SSS on the day to 72. West Lothian golfers usually figure prominently in Alliance events but it was a poor start for our many members at a very blowy Lothianburn last Wednesday.

Stevie Lamb of Broomieknowe led the scratch with a very good 70 while it was a similar score from Brian Smith of Edinburgh Thistle at the top of the handicap ratings.

Only Robert Marshall of Greenburn and Pumpherston Assistant pro Alan Mackay upheld local honour, the former by catching a piece of third handicap for his net 75 off seven handicap, the youngster by sharing the Trainee prize with a 76.

Many members are competing in the Scottish Alliance Championship this week at Gullane 2 and 3 and looking for kinder weather than last week no doubt.

Not often is there a scratch golfer at the top of a club event with the many handicap sharks around nowadays just waiting to pounce.

But Martin O'Hara did it when they rounded off Bathgate's season on Sunday.

The big man won the closing day with a grand four under the card 67 which was a bit of a mixed bag with two eagle threes and two twos in it as well.

This beat 10-handicapper Peter Dickson on a countback while Alex McMichael (10) and Charles McPhillips (25) were joint-third on 68.

Uphall has been doing a bit of rounding off of things too though their closing event is not till the middle of the month.

Sandy Wishart has won the knockout Cumming Cup with a final victory over Brian Leisk.

The 12 handicapper was conceded a shot but was too good on the day and closed his man out on the fifteenth green.

Meanwhile it is Robert Frame and Andy McKnight who have won the Maisie McFarlane Trophy with a win over John Halliday and Jamie Culpan.

With the Seniors', the George Aitken Trophy has fallen into the hands of Graham Brazenall after his final success over Pat Hughes while the four-ball event for the Chuckles Martin Trophy has gone to John Robertson and Michael Rogers with their victims in the final being Bill Carlyon and Robert Wilkinson.

Saturday's Medal Final at the club was won by Greg Beveridge for his 75-9=66, three ahead of joint runners up Neil Logan (9) and Alan Nicol (10). And to show that there can be a silver lining, Brian Leisk, after his Cumming Cup reverse, won Sunday's JP Campbell Memorial Trophy with a fine 75-11=64, a shot ahead of a pile up involving Ian Adair (12), Alan Nicol(10), Keith Wood (10) and Mark Proudfoot (7) in joint second.

Up at Harburn they have closed off their Scott Medal round of events with the final and it was Moray Anderson at the head of matters with a 78-11=67, two better than runner up William Heeps (7).

Greenburn had competitions for members both days at the weekend. In the Walter Budd Rosebowl on Saturday W Nelson won with 91-22=69 on a countback from W McGinty (13).

And on Sunday there was another countback involving Michael Carrigan (12) and Sandy Stewart (5). They tied on 68 net before the former got the nod for his better back nine.

Pumpherston had a big turnout for its 'Open' for the McClagan Cup but it was two locals at the top at the end of the day. Willie Blattner (12) won on a countback from Kenny Lawrie (9) after a tie on 63 net.