Club toasts success of new open
Machrihanish Golf Club welcomed 125 golfers who competed in mixed weather conditions in the very first Springbank Open last Sunday.
The Springbank Distillerysponsored event is a new and welcomed addition to the golf club’s fixture list.
For first place in each category, there were five bottles of specially labelled Springbank 15-year-old whisky up for grabs, and a fantastic new trophy awarded to the overall winner.
To mark the occasion, each player also received a Springbank whisky miniature as part of their entry.
Taking first place in the men’s handicap section and lifting this year’s trophy was Lee Mathieson. With an excellent scorecard that included 16 gross pars, he carded an overall nett 69. This was just enough to pip
Campbell McMurchy, who also shot nett 69, but lost due to Lee’s better inward half.
This is Lee’s second overall win of the 2023 season, so keep an eye out for him as he hopefully carries this momentum forward into the championship season ahead.
It was great to see the men’s gross section being battled over by two ex Machrihanish Golf Club champions in Calum MacPhail and George MacMillan. However, this time, it was Calum who came out on top with a gross 71, beating George by only two shots.
Calum was also one of only eight players to score a gross two during Sunday’s round, with his coming in at the long and difficult 232 yard par 4, 16th.
It was Maggie MacArthur who took first place in the ladies’ nett section, when she returned a great score of nett 73. Karen Andrews carded a gross 97, which allowed her to occupy sole first place in the ladies’ gross section.
S MacMillan won this week’s men’s 65+ section, with an excellent score of nett 69. Ian MacKinnon followed just behind with a nett 74.
Full results: Men’s handicap: 1 L Mathieson 69 BIH (overall winner), 2 C McMurchy 69, 3 D Johnson 70, 4 G Andrews 71. Men’s gross: 1 C MacPhail 71, 2 G MacMillan 73, 3 B Willan 74, 4 D Campbell 76. Ladies’ handicap: 1 M MacArthur 73, 2 E D MacLarty-Jones 100. Ladies’ gross: 1 K Andrews 97. Men’s 65+: 1 S MacMillan 69.
During Sunday’s competition, there were also three nearest the pin prizes on offer at the 4th, 11th, and 15th holes. At the 4th, Dean Ratcliff won with a shot that ended up four feet five inches from the cup. At the 11th, Graeme Edwards won with a shot that ended up 3.94 metres from the cup. Finally, at the 15th, Neil Barlow won with a shot that ended up only 76 cm from the cup.
Other recent Machrihanish Golf Club results: May Medal, played on Wednesday May 3: Division one: D Ratcliff 65; division two: D Renton 68; division three: A Renton 66; 65+: S MacMillan 65; ladies: M MacArthur 71. Pans Playing Fields Shield, played on Saturday May 6: 1 Jennifer Gilchrist 31 points; 2 Mary McIntyre 30 points.