Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Ellon's Adam Dunton, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, showed international class form to beat the professionals - and the rest of the field of 110 - to win the £150 top voucher in today's North-east Golfers' Alliance at Craibstone Golf Centre, near Aberdeen.
Dunton, who has a handicap of +3, played the last few holes in near-darkness yet was able to return a three-under-par 66, four shots better than the six players who finished joint runners-up.
The 23-year-old, who is off to Dubai shortly for warm weather training with the SGU elite squad followed by a trip to play in the South American amateur championship, said:
"I played solidly all the way, missing only two greens in regulation. I'm going to give it another year as an amateur, before thinking about going into the Tour Q School process."
Dunton birdied the fourth, fifth, seventh and 17th in halves of 32 (three under) and level par 34. His only bogey came at the short 12th.
Paul Lawrie's 18-year-old son Craig was one of the six on 70, which meant he collected prizemoney for the second week in a row. He is now 2 and 2 in his pro golf career as far figuring in the prize list.
Craig also won a bottle of whisky, donated by Marshalls Trailers, owners of the Craibstone Golf Centre and course, for the pro whose tee shot ended nearest to the pin at the short 12th where he notched one of his three birdies. On the downside, he had a double bogey 6 at the 11th.
Paul Lawrie Golf Centre team-mate Philip McLean, who was bidding to complete a hat-trick of Alliance victories, finished just outside the top 20 after losing two balls - the first at the short 12th which cost him a triple bogey 6 and the second for a double bogey 6 at the 16th.
Frosty conditions made it tough for the early starters and one ran up an 11 at the par-3 second hole, trying to get out of the frozen sand in a bunker. That's Alliance golf!
The other beneficiaries of the Marshall Trailers special prizes were Jim Murray (Banchory), the senior whose tee shot finished nearest the hole at the 10th. He won a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white win.
Brian Harper (Newburgh) won a bottle of whsky for the best amateur tee shot at the short seventh.
No wonder Craibstone is likely to be asked to host the NE Alliance competition on January 29 when Newburgh were due to be the hosts but could offer only winter greens.
SCRATCH SCORES
Par 69
66 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon).
70 J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen), J Duff (Newmachar), C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC), J Findlay (Paul Lawrie GC), K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC), Sean Lawrie (Portlethen).
71 C Dempster (Paul Lawrie GC), C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop), L Vannet (Carnoustie Links), D Leslie (Northern), B Mitchell (McDonald Ellon), K Duncan (Cruden Bay).
72 G Paterson (Northern), N Young (Insch).
73 K Beveridge (Kippie Lodge), S Mackie (Auchmill).
74 R Lamb (Newmachar), J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen), B Nicolson (Auchmill).
75 C Lamb (Newmachar), P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC), B Fyfe (Paul Lawrie GC), G Munro (Fraserburgh), D Brown (Kemnay), C Law (Kings Links).
76 D Addison (Cruden Bay), Laura Murray (Paul Lawrie GC), F Bisset (Banchory), J Nicolson (Auchmill).77 A Campbell (Murcar Links), S Kiloh (Portlethen), M Harling (Inchmarlo), J Pryde (Deeside), I Taylor (Inchmarlo).
78 C Grant (Portlethen), R Masson (Auchmill), A K Pirie (Hazlehead), I D Smith (Hazlehead).
79 B Harper (Newburgh), Michele Thomson (Ellon), J Duncan (Newburgh), D Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen), G Sutherland (Reay)
80 D Fleming (Portlethen), Steve Lawrie (Portlethen), A Graham (Aboyne)
81 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), J Hamilton (Murcar Links), J Scott (Peterculter), R Duncan (Royal Aberdeen), G Joss (Royal Aberdeen).
NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE
Craibstone Golf Centre
SCRATCH SCORES
Par 69
66 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon).
70 J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen), J Duff (Newmachar), C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC), J Findlay (Paul Lawrie GC), K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC), Sean Lawrie (Portlethen).
71 C Dempster (Paul Lawrie GC), C Nelson (Mackenzie Shop), L Vannet (Carnoustie Links), D Leslie (Northern), B Mitchell (McDonald Ellon), K Duncan (Cruden Bay).
72 G Paterson (Northern), N Young (Insch).
73 K Beveridge (Kippie Lodge), S Mackie (Auchmill).
74 R Lamb (Newmachar), J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen), B Nicolson (Auchmill).
75 C Lamb (Newmachar), P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC), B Fyfe (Paul Lawrie GC), G Munro (Fraserburgh), D Brown (Kemnay), C Law (Kings Links).
76 D Addison (Cruden Bay), Laura Murray (Paul Lawrie GC), F Bisset (Banchory), J Nicolson (Auchmill).77 A Campbell (Murcar Links), S Kiloh (Portlethen), M Harling (Inchmarlo), J Pryde (Deeside), I Taylor (Inchmarlo).
78 C Grant (Portlethen), R Masson (Auchmill), A K Pirie (Hazlehead), I D Smith (Hazlehead).
79 B Harper (Newburgh), Michele Thomson (Ellon), J Duncan (Newburgh), D Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen), G Sutherland (Reay)
80 D Fleming (Portlethen), Steve Lawrie (Portlethen), A Graham (Aboyne)
81 C Cassie (Nigg Bay), J Hamilton (Murcar Links), J Scott (Peterculter), R Duncan (Royal Aberdeen), G Joss (Royal Aberdeen).
82 A Gall (Deeside), R McRae (Newmachar), M Duncan (Murcar Links)
83 D Mackay (Newmachar), S Thomson (Caledonian), P Cheyne (Northern)
84 M Merchant (Newmachar), H McNaughton (Cruden Bay), D Bisset (Banchory), T Collie (Kemnay), W Skene (Deeside), D Nelson (Aboyne).
85 P Morrison (Oldmeldrum), G Dillon (Kemnay), L Roger (Royal Aberdeen), I Clark (Northern), P Craig (Kintore), R Orr (Kemnay), A Petrie (Oldmeldrum), P Cornfield (Auchmill).
86 K Zeynalov (Paul Lawrie GC), D Lane (Deeside).
87 G Leslie (Newburgh), D Wilson (Duff House Royal).
88 H Roulston (Stonehaven).
89 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), B Lawrie (Kemnay), B Lumsden (Northern).
90 R Brown (Newburgh), D Randall (Banchory).
91 N Chisholm (Kemnay)
93 M Smith (Inverurie), J Hosie (Kemnay), C Brindley (Banchory).
94 S Dillon (Kemnay).
95 D Lawrie (Aboyne), D Wright (Northern), M Rogers (Kemnay).
96 S Davidson (Northern).
97 N Stewart (Northern).
103 M Brown (Newburgh).
104 J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum).
106 P Leech (Oldmeldrum)
HANDICAP PRIZEWINNERS
Class 1 - D Leslie (Northern) (3) (better inward half), M Harling (Banchory) (9) 68; R Lamb (Newmachar) (5); 70 B Mitchell (Cruden Bay) (1) (bih), S Mackie (Auchmill) (13) bih)
Class 2 - B Masson (Auchmill) (11) (bih), I D Smith (Hazlehead) (11) 67; R Duncan (Royal Aberdeen)(13) 68; P Cornfcield (Auchmill)_(15) 70); H McNaughton (Cruden Bay) (13) (bih) 71.
OTHER PRIZES
Pro nearest pin at 12th - C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC)
Senior nearest pin at 10th - J Murray (Banchory).
Amateur nearest pin at seventh - B Harper (Newburgh).
Published by scottishgolfview.com