Bob Stewart Heads the Elgin Marvels

Elgin course was set up brilliantly for the Scottish Seniors and several testing par fours ensured that level par was going to be at or near the peak of achievement. The gorse was in full bloom and was a real ball magnet. Nobody escaped without a tale of woe or two.

It was almost inevitable that there would be thrills and spills at the climax and so it proved to be. Fittingly our new champion, the Tulliallan Express, had the lowest last 36 aggregate (139) by four shots and was also the only player to match par on any of the three rounds.

Despite that excellence, the result was in doubt right to the end. Bob found himself in clear air after birdies at 2,5,8 and 11 put him three under par. The appropriately named Hardhillock course has a habit of biting back and bogeys at 14,16 and the tough 18th left him feeling that his aggregate was a bit vulnerable.

The challenge when it came was from Iain Stewart, the redoubtable Dublin based “Bankie.” Iain felt that the luck associated with his adopted homeland deserted him as his second at the 18th deflected off a distance marker and cost him a double bogey. That took the pair into sudden death playoff and Iain’s luck did not improve at the first extra hole as his pushed tee shot ended up in a poor lie in the trees leaving the way open for Bob to secure a winning par.

Overall a great advert for the growing power of the Society. We had 19 players in the top 22 from a field containing many notable raiders from beyond the borders. The Hutch made a strong defence of his title in joint third and picked up useful OOM points as well as the over 65s trophy. Many of the usual suspects, messrs Murphy, MacDonald, Watt, Grieve and Johnston all featured in the top ten.

And so to Stirling……