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Monday, September 28, 2009

NAC SCOTTISH CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP - Prestwick win national title

Prestwick Golf Club are the 2009 NAC Scottish Club Champions after winning the title at Prestwick St. Nicholas on Sunday 27th September.


The Prestwick team, which included three former Scotland internationalists, Allan Thomson, Gavin Lawrie and Jonathan King - pictured below - took the title by five shots at an overcast and windy St. Nicholas links, presented in excellent condition by John McLaughlin and his greenkeeping staff.



Prestwick qualified to represent Ayrshire in the championship after the team of Allan Thomson, James Bunch and Jonathan King won the Ayrshire Club Championship title at Loudoun earlier in the year.


The event was staged over 36 holes strokeplay with the best two scores from three in the morning and the best two scores from three in the afternoon being combined to give the team total.


Prestwick led the way after the first round on 144 with Gavin Lawrie's score of 71 being the best return from the field in the morning round.


After the first 18 holes, Glasgow Golf Union cloub sandyhills were prestwick's closest challengers on 145 with St. Andrews, from Fife, one shot further back on 146.


In the afternoon, former Scottish Amateur Champion Allan thomson came back in a superb one inder par 33 for a best of the day score of 69 to give Prestwick an excellent chance of taking the title.


In the following game, Gavin Lawrie was three over par standing on the final tee but his tee shot drifted right and flirted with the out of bounds at the clubhouse before coming back into play near the first tee. Unperturbed, Lawrie chipped onto the green and holed the put for a par three and a score of 72. to give Prestwick the lead over the 16 club field.


Jonathan King completed Prestwick's efforts with a fine 73 to ensure a useful countback score in the event of a tie.


With Glasgow's Sandyhills fading away in the second round, Prestwick's only challengers appeared to be St. Andrews and when the Fife club team completed their rounds their total came up five adrift of the Ayrshire side.


Final placings were :-


285 - PRESTWICK (144/141)
290 - ST. ANDREWS (146/144)
295 - POWFOOT (152/143)
(third by virtue of the lowest discarded 2nd round score)
295 - McDONALD (150/145)
298 - FORRES (153/145)
299 - SANDYHILLS (145/154)
300 - BLAIRGOWRIE (150/150)
301 - CAMBUSLANG (150/151)
301 - GLENBERVIE (153/148)

303 - COCHRANE CASTLE (153/150)
307 - BEARSDEN (156/151)
307 - KELSO (158/149)

310 - BATHGATE (155/155)

310 - INNELLAN (161/149)

312 - DOLLAR (156/156)

316 - FORFAR (156/160)




At the conclusion of the championship the medals were presented to the winners by Championship Chairman Don Bremner and the Club Championship Trophy was handed over to the Prestwick trio by Prestwick St. Nicholas Captain Bill Rae (pictured right).





This win is Prestwick's first in the 22 year history of the event and is the first win by an Ayrshire club since Kilmarnock (Barassie) took the title in 1994. Other Ayrshire winners were Troon Welbeck (1993) and Kilmarnock Barassie (1992).



Prestwick now go forward to represent Scotland in the European Club Championship final in Antalya, Turkey, from 22nd to 24th October this year.

(The winning team with Prestwick GC Secretary, Ian Bunch)

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