UNIVERSITIES GOLF - Jack McDonald takes national title

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Stirling University dominated the BUCS Student Tour Finals at West Lancs Golf Club this week with Jack McDonald (pictured right) winning the men's title and Hannah McCook the women's title after a countback.

Stirling provided the first five finishers in the men's championship, who did not include the pre-tournament favourite, Graeme Robertson.

Sunday's Craigmillar Park Open winner finished joint eighth on 295 - six shots behind winning team-mate Jack McDonald.

McDonald, a Kilmarnock Barassie GC member, had led at the start of the round on 217, one shot ahead another Stirling student, Kit Holmes and Conor Wilson (Plymouth).

Holmes and Wilson drifted out of contention over the final round with scores of 74 and 76 respectively and it was Stirling's Darren Timms who chased McDonald home.

McDonald signed off with a 72 for one-over-par 289, one shot ahead of the fast finishing Timms who shot a splendid 67 for 290.

Stirling pair Zander Culverwell and Dewi Merckx also finished well with a 70 apiece for the same total of 291. Culverwell was officially placed third on a card countback.

FINAL TOTALS - MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Par 288 (4x72) CSS 76 74 74 74
289 Jack McDonald (Stirling) 74 73 70 72

290 Darren Timms (Stirling) 75 77 71 67
291 Zander Culverwell (Stirling) 75 72 74 70 (placed third on countback); Dewi Merkx 77 76 78 70.

292 Kit Holmes (Stirling) 75 72 71 74.
294 Callum McNeil (UHI) 78 75 74 67, Conor Wilson (Plymouth) 74 72 72 76.
295 Graeme Robertson (Stirling) 74 75 73 73, Tiarnan McLarnon (Ulster) 76 72 72 75.
296 Owen Edwards (Birmingham) 77 75 72 72, Mathias Eggenberger (Stirling) 74 71 74 77.
297 Mike Howard (Stirling) 75 77 72 73, Tim Martin (Bournemouth) 74 74 76 73.
298 Ben Stow (Plymouth) 80 75 71 72, Matt Wheeler (St Andrews) 78 74 75 71.
301 Joe Heraty (Central Lacs) 78 81 69 73, Ryan Gribben (Ulster) 77 77 73 74, Duncan Douglas (Stirling) 70 74 83 74.
303 Sam Botham (Birmingham) 82 75 74 72, Robbie Busher (Plymouth) 77 76 75 75, Chris O'Neill (UW Newport) 74 74 79 73, Patrick Spraggs (Stirling) 70 74 82 77.
304 James Lynch (Kingston) 84 74 73 73, Jack Bowen (Bucks New) 80 76 74 74, Mark Duncalf (Central Lancs) 76 78 76 74.
305 Tom Calvert (Central Lancs) 79 75 71 80, Ollie Roberts (Stirling) 79 72 77.
306 Lee Fuller (Northumbria) 86 73 73 74, Dan Bishop (Bournemouth) 79 77 73 77.
307 Martin Leese (Loughborough) 79 79 76 73, Lewis Pearce (Lincoln) 79 77 78 73, Alex Hull (Bournemouth) 78 74 77 78.
308 Nick Wildman (Exeter) 78 81 74 74, David Booth (Stirling) 79 77 77 75, Michael Conybear (Birmingham) 74 74 80 80.
309 James Ashman (Central Lancs) 84 78 76 71.
310 Ryan McInstry (Queens, Belfast) 80 78 78 74, Jack Lampkin (Northumbria) 80 78 76 76, Stephen Boles (Ulster) 81 73 79 77.
311 Josh Moses (Bournemouth) 81 78 74 78.
312 Freddie Edmunds (St Andrews) 82 81 76 73, Daniel Farmer (UW Newport) 80 77 80 75.
313 Lewis Hollingworth (Lincoln) 83 76 78 76, Frederick Russell (Hertfordshire) 78 78 80 77, Luke Ryan (Bucks New) 75 81 77 80.
317 Chris Benton (Leeds Met Carnegie) 77 85 77 78.
318 Chris Fleming (Exeter) 81 79 76 82.
320 Daniel McCrea (Queens, Belfast) 83 80 81 76.
321 Martin Tavoda (Birmingham) 83 79 82 77.
331 Stuart Cochrane (Stirling) 91 82 86 72, Edward McCoy (Queens, Belfast) 79 79 84 89.
336 Harry Chapple (Birmingham) 85 83 84 84.
Disqualified: Danny Vallis (Exeter) 79 74 75 76. Rule 6-6 (d).

Hannah McCook wins women's title on card countback

In the women's championship Stirling's Hannah McCook won in an exciting finish. A Scotland girl international, the Nethy Bridge student's closing round of four-under-par 70 was easily the best of the whole women's tournament and it gave her a final total of 305.

Welsh international Gemma Bradbury (St Anrews) was able to match that aggrgate with a final round of 73 but she lost out to McCook on a card countback.
Hannah said later:

"I played really well for that last round of 70. I just managed to keep it all together. Everything was working. I was 4 under for the front 9 then level for the back 9. I had a double bogey on the 4th but I just kept patient and the birdies just came. So happy to have returned so well since my wrist surgery and injury."

York's Charlotte Austwick had led by TEN shots after three rounds but slumped to a nightmare last round of 84 which opened the door for McCook and Bradbury who pipped her by one shot.

Charlotte was even deprived of third place on 306. Eilidh Briggs (Stirling), the 2011 Scottish Under-18 girls champion, also finished on 306 with a 73, easily her best of the week, and the Scot was officially placed third after a card countback.

Defending champion and pre-tournament favourite Kelsey MacDonald (Stirling) injured an arm and retired after two rounds.

WOMEN'S FINAL TOTALS

Par 296 (4x74) CSS 78 75 75 75

305 Hannah McCook (Stirling) 84 76 75 70 (won on card countback), Gemma Bradbury (St Andrews) 82 76 74 73.
306 Eilidh Briggs (Stirling) 78 77 78 73 (placed third on countback), Charlotte Austwick (York) 74 77 71 84.
311 Kerry-Anne Haskel (Bournemouth) 77 76 83 75.

312 Lauren Spray (Birmingham) 79 76 81 76.
313 Jane Turner (Robert Gordon) 80 74 81 78.
314 Alison Knowles (Exeter) 85 79 76 74.
317 Gabrielle MacDonald (St Andrews) 87 78 76 76.
322 Becca Wilson (Stirling) 88 78 79 77.
323 Harriet Beasley (Stirling) 85 79 79 80.
324 Nicola Rawlinson (Loughborough) 85 79 87 73.

325 Franzisca Benze (St Andrews) 83 86 78 78.
345 Roisin Brady (Ulster) 91 89 83 82.
Retired (injuries): Kelsey MacDonald (Stirling) 85 78, Kate Whitmore (UW Newport) 83.