LYNN KENNY IS QUEEN OF KING'S COURSE AT GLENEAGLES

Alan Tait (guest speaker), overall champion Lynn Kenny, and Graham Hesketh (Gleneagles Hotel Press Officer). Picture by Kenny Smith

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
It was girls on top at the Callaway/Gleneagles Hotel sponsored Scottish golfwriters and guests' tournament over the King's Course, Gleneagles today.
On a dry (!), windless day on a soft course - aren't they all at the moment? - Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) won the Belhaven Trophy for the best overall Stableford points score of 39 - off a handicap of +3 (for competition against amateurs purposes)!.
Lynn's gross score was SIX-under-par 65 (32-33).
Her flawless (no bogeys) figures were:
OUT - 434 434 433: 32
   IN - 424 444 344: 33
Birdies at second, fourth, ninth, 11th, 15th, 18th.
"It was a brilliant display," said one of her playing partners, Carol Fell (Ranfurly Castle), the West of Scotland ladies golf news webmaster.
"No-one was more surprised than me," said Lynn, a former Scottish women's amateur champion who lost her Ladies European Tour card at the end of last season, "because I have played very little golf lately. Maybe this is the answer to regaining my form!"
She is the first-ever female to win the Belhaven Trophy which has traditionally been won by the male winner of either the Alex M Fox Trophy (golfwriters champion) or the Bunkered Trophy (male guests category winner).
Rookie pro and recent Curtis Cup heroine Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Scottish women's amateur champion Laura Murray (Alford), Michael Gannon (Press and Journal) and Neil Hampton, general manager of Royal Dornoch Golf Club, won the team event with 94pt .
Runners-up were the all-ladies team of Gillian Kirkwood (Gullane Ladies), Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links), Heather MacRae (Gleneagles Hotel) and Carol Fell with 92pt.

Alan Tait, Scott Peddie (2012 Scottish golfwriters champion), Graham Hesketh. Pictured by Kenny Smith.

Scott Peddie (Bunkered and Scottish Club Golfer) won the Alex M Fox Trophy as winner of the Golfwriters' section. He scored 32pt off a handicap of seven despite not scoring any points at two holes!.
Neil Hampton won the Male Guests' category with 33pt off scratch. He was round in 71 gross, three over par on a day when there was no run on the soft fairways and the long, wet rough meant hitting fairways with drives was a a priority.
The prizes were presented by guest speaker Alan Tait, Director of Golf at Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel Golf and Country Club, former Doug Sanders world boys champion, Scottish boys champion, and Scottish PGA Order of merit winner.
Callaway provided the golf equipment prizes and Gleneagles Hotel supplied goodie bags, coffee/tea and bacon rolls on arrival and a two-course lunch, all on the house. And, of course, they provided the golfwriters and guests with the courtesy of the King's Course - perhaps the biggest prize of all!
The management at Machrihanish Dunes, Trump International Links, Marriott Dalmhoy Hotel Golf and Country Club, Royal Dornoch Golf Club and Gleneagles Hotel provided courtesy tee times at their courses at future dates as additional prizes.

LEADING PRIZEWINNERS

GOLFWRITERS
Overall winner - Alex M Fox Trophy - Scott Peddie (Bunkered and Scottish Club Golfer) (7) 32p.t
Class 1 - Robin Wilson (Brora freelance) (6) 30pt, Malcolm Campbell (RandA) (8) 29, Fergus Bisset (Golf Monthly) (3) 25, Ed Hodges (SGU) (8) 16.
Class 2 - Kevin Ferrie (Herald) (11) 29 (inward half 16pt), Michael McEwan (Bunkered and Scottish Club Golfer) (22) 29 (inward half 11pt), Dave Edwards (Press and Journal) (17) 26, Michael Gannon (Daily Record) (14) 25, Mike Aitken (Sport Perceptions) (15) 20.


MALE GUESTS
Overall winner - Bunkered Trophy - Neil Hampton (Royal Dornoch) (scr) 33pt.
Class 1 - Billy Sim (Craibstone) (4) 31pt (inward half 17pt), Roy Murray (PGA in Scotland) 31 (inward half 14), Harry Roulston (Stonehaven) (7) 25 (bih), Peter Smith (Deeside) (+3) 25, Billy Murray (Gleneagles Hotel) (6) 24l
Class 1 - Kenny Smith (Kenny Smith Photography) (10) 29pt, Hugh Hunter (SGU past president) (19) 26, Graham Hesketh (Gleneagles Hotel) (15) 25, Mike Woodcock (St Andrews Links) (12) 24, Graeme Webster (Golf Course Designer) (10) 23, Eric Nicolson (Dundee Courier) (12) 18.


LADY GUESTS
Overall winner - Belhaven Trophy - Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) )(+3) 39pt.
Class 1 - Pamela Prestswell (Bothwell Castle) (+3) 36pt, Heather MacRae (Gleneagles Hotel) (+3) 29.
Class 2 - Laura Murray (Alford) (+2) 25pt, Carol Fell (10) 24, Gillian Kirkwood (Gullane Ladies 11) 21.


TEAM EVENT
Best three from four scores per tee time to count
Winners - Pamela Pretswell, Laura Murray, Michael Gannon, Neil Hampton - 94pt
Runners-up - Gillian Kirkwood, Lynn Kenny, Heather MacRae, Carol Fell - 92pt
3rd - Robin Wilson, Kevin Ferrie, Harry Roulston, Roy Murray 90pt.
4th - Kenny Smith, Fergus Bisset, Mike Aitken, Scott Peddie 86pt
5th - Graeme Webster, Billy Sim, Dave Edwards, Peter Smith 82pt.
6th - Mike Woodcock, Malcolm Camp-bell, Eric Nicolson, Hugh Hunter 79pt
7th - Ed Hodge, Michael McEwan, Billy Murray, Graham, Hesketh 78pt.


LONGEST DRIVE (at 18th hole) - Scott Peddie.
NEAREST PIN (at 16th hole) - Neil Hampton.
SHORTEST DRIVE (at first hole) - Dave Edwards.

 Alan Tait and Graham Hesketh flank the Team Competition winners (left to right) Neil Hampton, Pamela Pretswell, Laura Murray and Michael Gannon. Picture by Kenny Smith.