CARDRONA HOTLE CHALLENGE - Irvine pro takes top spot

Irvine's James McKinnon won the Cardrona Hotel 36-hole Challenge at the Peebles venue today by one stroke from overnight joint leader James Byrne after the Ayrshire man's cruise to the winning line was almost sunk by a triple bogey 7 at the penultimate hole.

 

(Report courtesy of The Cal Carson Golf Agency)

 

McKinnon, 40 years old and a pro since 1992, looked to have the £1,750 first prize all but signed, sealed and delivered when he improved his overnight six-under-par position to 12 under par with birdies at the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, 12th and 16th - offset by a single bogey at the short 13th.

Banchory's Byrne, level on six under at the start of the round, could not keep up with McKinnon's blistering pace even though he himself had an eagle at the 12th and birdies at the second, sixth and eighth.

Trouble was James also kept dropping shots at regular intervals - the third, fifth, seventh and 14th.

When McKinnon birdied the 16th to move to 12 under par, he was five shots clear of Byrne, his only rival in the scoring stakes. Then came a dramatic four-stroke swing between the leaders at the par-4 17th. Byrne birdied it to get to eight under while McKinnon ran up a 7 to slump to nine under par.

High tension for the last hole. But McKinnon drew on his 21 years' experience as a pro to grind out a par down the 18th for a 69 and a total of 135.

That was one shot ahead of Byrne who had to settle for a closing two-under 70 after he  could not get the birdie that would have seen the 24-year-old Northern Open champion force a play-off over the course where he won the Scottish boys' stroke-play title in 2007.

Still, Byrne earned £1,250 as a consolation prize.

A hole in one at the fifth helped Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) to tie for third place on 138, two behind runner-up Byrne, with Chris Kelly (Cawder), the long-time leader in the clubhouse after posting a second-round, best of the day 67, and Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle). They each earned £800.

Kelly's girl friend, Heather MacRae (Gleneagles) also had a very good tournament.

She had rounds of 72 and a five-birdie 71 to finish joint 15th on 143 and earn £170

FINAL TOTALS

Par 144 (2x72)

135 J McKinnon (Irvine) 66 69 (£1,750).

136 J Byrne (Banchory) 66 70 (£1,250)

138 C Kelly (Cawder) 71 67, G Fox (Clydeway Golf) 68 70, J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 67 71 (£800 each)

139 G Wright (West Linton) 70 69, G Hutcheon (Banchory) 69 70, P McKechnie (Braid Hills) 68 71 (£450 each)

140 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) 68 72 (£335).

141 S Henderson (Kings Links) 69 72 (£325)

142 D Patrick (Elie SC) 71 71, G Brown (Montrose Links) 71 71, P Robinson (Largs) 70 72, G McBain (Gamola Golf) 69 73 (£262 each)

143 Heather MacRae (Gleneagles) 72 71, P O'Hara (Clydeway Golf) 72 71, S Lamb (Cardrona) 72 71, C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 68 75 (£170 each).

144 J Henry (Clydebank and Dist) 74 70, G Law (Uphall) 73 71, R Arnott (Bishopbrigg) 73 71, Christopher Robinson (Portpatrick Dunskey) 72 72, D Orr (Mearns Castle) 69 75 (£125 each).
145 N Scott-Smith (Palacerigg) 77 68, M King (Kingsfield) 74 71, C Ronald (Carluke) 70 75, G Thacker (Kedleston Park) 70 75 (£53 each).
146 Colin  Robinson (Prestonfield) 75 71, M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) 72 74, N Huguet (Musselburgh) 72 74, C Currie (Caldwell) 71 75, S Herald (Mearns Castle) 70 76, M Patterson (Kilmacolm) 68 78.
147 C Lawson (unatt) 76 71, J McGhee (unatt) 75 72, G Rankin (Drumpellier) 74 74, P Walker (Ballumbie Castle) 72 75, R MacLeod (Eastwood) 71 76, P Wardell (Whitekirk) 71 76.
148 S Savage (Dalmuir) 73 75.
149 C Marr (Musselburgh) 78 71, G McFarlane (Clober) 72 77, C Gordon (Edinburgh GC) 72 77.
150 S Morrison (Tain) 75 75, J Gallagher (Douglas Park) 75 75, Stephen McAllister (Renaissance) 73 77, A Reid (West Lothian) 73 77, Ailsa Bain (Cardrona) 72 78, G Paxton (Ralston) 72 78.
151 C Beveridge (West Kilbride) 75 76, J Dick (Duddingston) 75 76.
152 C Russell (RAW Design) 79 73, D Roger (Windyhill) 77 75, D Wood Hirsel) 72 80.

153 J Lomas (Caprington) 77 76, P Brookes (Pitreavie) 76 77.
154 S Gray (Hayston) 73 81, C Elliott (Haggs Castle) 72 82.
155 J Cliff (Murrayfield) 78 77, T Dingwall (Nairn Dunbar) 81 74, G Smith (Gleneagles) 81 74, A Welsh (Cathkin Braes) 81 74, M Laughtland (Bishopbriggs) 76 79. 
156 A Strang (unatt) 80 76.
157 T Mathieson (Murcar Links) 77 80, P Wilson (Cawder) 79 78, K Campbell (Machrihanish) 78 79, R Rushford (Swanston New) 83 74, D McCallum (Golfsphere) 76 81.
158 J Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey) 83 75, C Tierney (Affordable Golf) 80 78.
159 G McSporran (Kinross) 78 81, J Brown (Cathcart Castle) 82 77, D Ritchie (unatt) 81 78, M Shaw (Whitecraigs) 81 78.   
160 C McMaster (Panmure) 82 78, R Fyvie (Pumpherston) 85 75, N Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh) 76 84.
164 J Mackay (North Gailes) 77 87.
165 S Reekie (Royal Troon) 84 81.
166 S McLaren (Blairgowrie) 84 82.
168 V Brown (Palacerigg) 78 90, M Mackenzie (Edzell) 85 83.
173 R Holt (unatt) 86 87.
174 Kirstin Scott (Cardrona) 84 90.
DQ P Affleck (unatt).