Winter Eclectic Round 2

A strong field of golfers took to the fairways for round two of the Winter Eclectic at Reay recently, and the wintry conditions ensured good scores were at a premium. Taking top spot was Donald Mowat who carded the lowest gross score of the day, a superb 74. A pair of birdies at the 4th and 5th holes ensured his round got off to a flier and he reached the turn in a mere 35 blows. A steady inward half of 39 ensured Mowat took the victory on the day by two strokes by virtue of a nett 67, and it also catapulted him up to third place in the overall eclectic standings.

In second spot following a fine nett 69 was club president Fred Groves. An outward half of 39 was followed by a super inward 37 to give a gross score of 76, with a birdie at the long 14th the highlight of his round.

Beaten in to third place on countback was the in-form Alex Mackay after he also returned a score of nett 69. His card had something of a topsy-turvy look to it with halves of 41 and 44 including two ugly triple bogeys and a solitary birdie at the 6th hole. A string of steady holes between these highs and lows was good enough to secure the final podium place.

A quartet of players, Sandy Chisholm, David Mackay, Leslie Mackay and Martin Bain shared fourth place after carding nett 71s.

In the overall eclectic standings Richard McDonald remains in the lead on a score of 67.37 despite sitting out round two. Chisholm has moved up to second place on 68.25, with Mowat third on 68.37. However, with four rounds remaining there is still plenty of time for further challengers to emerge from the chasing pack.

WLS 3

The race for Winter League Stableford glory has been hotting up with round three played in glorious autumn conditions. Winter specialists Ian Sutherland and Sandy Chisholm topped the scoring charts after both carded 39 points. Both managed a single birdie during their rounds with Sutherland recording a 2 at the short 5th hole, while Chisholm carded his at the par 4 16th hole. Murray McGlasson took third place on 38 points with the highlights of his round being a pair of birdies at the 6th and 16th holes. John Nicolson, Steve Efemey and Alex Mackay finished a point further back on 37 points.

November Medal

Good scores were at a premium for the November Medal at Reay which was played in cool and crisp conditions. Standing head and shoulders above the rest at the top of the leaderboard was Kenny Farmer who recorded an excellent total of nett 66. After a steady outward half of 44, he turned up the heat with an inward 41 which included a birdie 3 at the par 4 13th hole. Farmer secured the silverware by a margin of two strokes from his nearest challenger Fred Groves who carded a nett 68. After an excellent start, Groves blighted his card with an ugly double-bogey at the tough 7th hole, but he still managed to reach the turn in 39. A strong finish which included a birdie at the 14th hole saw him come back in 36 to card a gross score of 75, the best of the day. Richard McDonald has been enjoying some excellent form in the winter competitions to date, and he secured third spot after scoring nett 69. A very tidy gross score of 76 was made up of halves of 39 and 37 which comprised 11 pars and 7 bogeys.