Youth emerging as new breed of title winners at county golf courses

Aug 12 2010 West Lothian Courier

YOUTH continues to flourish in the local golfing arena with the new Harburn Champion, still of tender years, crowned, while Bathgate's big open last Sunday went to a teenager as well.

Stuart Boyle has won the Harburn Championship for the second time in a tense finish with holder of the title Michael Burnett, hardly an old man himself.

The pair went head to head, out together in the last match in the fourth round, with Boyle seemingly all but home and hosed with a six shot advantage which had come mainly courtesy of a second round 65.

The determined Burnett was unwilling, however, to give up his crown.

Despite dropping a stroke at the first he chipped away at his man's lead — four shots of the advantage went from the ninth to the twelfth alone.

And by the 16th Burnett had reduced the deficit to a single stroke.

Boyle, though, made a birdie there to double his lead with only the two holes to go.

But a tugged drive cost him at the penultimate hole.

As a result he was only able to make the very front of the green with his approach and three forlorn putts followed.

His adversary meanwhile holed gleefully for a birdie and it was all even after 71 holes.

Sadly for him it was Burnett's turn for the indifferent tee shot at the last and he was unable to make the putting surface with his second and, indeed, was still outside his opponent in three.

When the par putt failed Boyle was all too happy to accept two putts for his four and the title albeit in somewhat anti climactic circumstances.

The winning total in the end was 278.

Meanwhile there has been a host of other success stories at the West Calder club.

In the 'B' Class Championship it was Tommy Toner out in front with a 311 total in the end.

Another cliffhanger here as Tommy was level going to the final hole with Colin McKinlay and made par to take advantage of his rival's bogey five.

There was more leeway in the 'C' Class event, however, where John Barkey totalled 343 in the end to prevail by five shots over next placed Billy Deerness.

And Arlene McGarty was a comfortable four shot winner in the Ladies' 'A' Class Championship with a total of 244 ahead of runner up Alison McBride.

The Ladies Handicap Championship, meanwhile, went to Margaret Ritchie for her 226 total, good enough for a two stroke success over Sheila McEwan, the runner up.

Among the youngsters there was a success for Jack Stewart with his nearest rival Eilidh Crawford in the end.

Bathgate's Livingstone Trophy has had to be reduced to a single round now — for years it was one of the most eagerly anticipated 36 hole events in the area for lower handicap players.

Other clubs have been going the same way with Uphall and Harburn immediately springing to mind.

Thirty six holes just seems to take too long nowadays and people are unwilling to give up a whole day away from the family at the weekends.

Not that Sunday's leading scorers will be much concerned with the history of the event.

Winner was long-hitting local teenager Louis Gaughan who has made quite an impact at the club this season.

His round took quite a long time to get started on Sunday but he certainly made hay when it did.

Louis was one over the card after ten holes but birdied five of the last eight, including two's at the 11th and 13th, for an inward 31 to beat Grangemouth's Tom Beattie on a countback.

Beattie, it will be remembered, played much of his early golf in Fauldhouse at the Greenburn club.

Third here went to Swanston's Michael Campbell for his 69 while it was another local, the always dangerous Stevie Hubbard, who took top handicap prize for his 70-6=64.

Over at Oatridge the Binny club's Gent's Open last Saturday had three locals at the head of matters when the final totting up was done.

Brian Dempster's 86-24=62 won by four shots from Craig Ballantyne (17) and Tom O'Brien (20) with the former getting second place by virtue of his superior inward run.

J Gardiner of Uphall was top scratch with his return of 73 for the competition total.

And still at Binny, it was Robert Stone who took the club's Senior Medal last week with a return of 84-16=68.

At the same course, the Sunday Medal went to John Lysaght (16) on a countback from Stuart Dean (23) after the pair had tied on 67 net.

West Lothian had its second weekend of the Goudie event and, as anticipated, it was Michael Wilson who won the scratch event and became the winner of the coveted Windsor Bowl.

He had led by a whopping eight shots going into the weekend but his Saturday 75 allowed Alan O'Neill to claw back three on him and set-up a tense finish in the tournament.

Irishman Wilson was not to be denied though and the next day he was in top form as he repeated his 66 of the previous Sunday — O'Neill had 69 — to win by a handsome eight shots.

Third placed was Revie Thomson who had a great weekend with 71 and 68 scratch which allowed him to take top handicap award and the Josephine Turnbull Trophy off his three handicap.

Revie's 275 total beat Andrew Richardson (9) who had led at the halfway mark, by a single shot. Third place here went to Roy Murray (7) on 279.

Harburn's last couple of Kirk Rosebowl qualifiers have been won by S Learmonth and J Murray.

The former's 83-21=62 was good for a couple of strokes victory while Murray's 63 off fifteen left him a single shot ahead of his nearest rival.

And finally there was a success for Ron Comber at Uphall.

His 73-12=61 was good for victory in the club's Midweek Sweep, a shot ahead of runner up Gordon Samuel (10).