Golfers battle it out for top prizes at Machrihanish
WITH the dust settling on the Open on the other side of the Clyde at Troon, golfers from Kintyre and beyond have been battling it out for top prizes at Machrihanish Golf club.
The results from two of the club’s majors have recently been settled, featuring a rare hole in one.
The Thomson Open was played on Saturday July 2 in wet conditions in a tough south-westerly wind.
The competition was cancelled last season, due to atrocious weather, and it was David Campbell who lifted the trophy on its return, expertly steering his ball round the course with a fantastic 75-4-71.
His round included a birdie at the difficult 5th and a hat-trick of birdies at the 9th, 10th and 11th.
He pipped Darren Kelly’s 78-7-71 by virtue of the better inward half. Matthew MacAulay picked up the scratch prize with a 77. The winning lady was Ann Gallacher with an excellent 87-9-78.
The July open, played on Saturday 16, and George Rayner Trophy was contested by 104 players.
Kevan Gilchrist came out on top with a terrific 74-965, the highlight being a birdie at the par-five 10th.
He won by five shots from Bobby Dalziel and D Ramassamy. First scratch went to Calum McPhail with a 74.
Carradale’s Laura McGeachy won the ladies prize with a fabulous 796-73.
Shot of the day, if not the entire season, was Ranald Watson’s wonderfully executed pitching wedge from the 4th tee which went straight down the hatch.
The delighted Springbank man was the right culprit for celebrations in the clubhouse.
Ann Gallacher was back in form on Sunday July 17, winning the Ladies Charity Open with a fantastic stableford score of 38 points.
Fiona McPhee and Suzanne Smith, both of Ranfurly Castle, took second and third place with 36 points.
Laura McGeachy was in the prizes for a second day running with a gross 76 for 28 stableford points to take home the scratch prize.
Lindsay Ramsay was runner-up, Catherine Dobbie placing third.
A total of £550 was raised by the ladies for the South Kintyre Young Carers Group.
In other results, the Erskine Shield was won by Jock McPhee with a fantastic 78-10-68.
Stuart Campbell took the Lachlan MacKinnon me- morial plate with a terrific score of two-under-par 680-68, beating Stewart MacMillan on the better inward half.
Lachlan’s son, Iain, got himself onto the podium taking the Kintyre Cup with a score of 35 stableford points.
The Wolfe Cup was lifted by Duncan Johnstone with 38 points. Junior convener, Hilary Oman won the July medal for ladies with 32 stableford points. Jennifer Gilchrist was second with 30 points.