HOLIDAY GOLF TRIP PAYING OFF FOR USA STUDENT
Rachel Polson and her dad Alasdair after their mixed foursomes success at Brora. Picture by Robin Wilson
RACHEL POLSON'S DOUBLE WHAMMY VICTORIES IN THE NORTH
FROM ROBIN WILSON
With strong Helmsdale connections and holidaying this week
in Helmsdale for the start of Brora Golf
Club's busy week of open events, Rachel
Polson, whose parents' home is in Peterculter, won last Saturday’s pipe-opening competition, the
Women's Clynelish 18 Hole Open.
Just turned 21, Polson has returned to her family home near Aberdeen for the summer break from America and is currently with her parents holidaying in Helmsdale.
Rachel has just finished her third of a four year course studying Marketing at the Florida Institute of Technology where on her golf scholarship she has reduced her golf handicap to two playing in USA collegiate events,which has brought her to the attention of the Scottish Ladies Golf Association and she is now a member of the SLGA's overseas elite training squad.
Rachel has just finished her third of a four year course studying Marketing at the Florida Institute of Technology where on her golf scholarship she has reduced her golf handicap to two playing in USA collegiate events,which has brought her to the attention of the Scottish Ladies Golf Association and she is now a member of the SLGA's overseas elite training squad.
Already in the clubhouse from playing in the better morning conditions was a gross card of 75 compiled from two excellent halves of 37 and 38 by Wick's Deirdre MacAngus.
Turning for home with the helping wind on her back Polson
birdied the par five 11th hole and all but all but drove the green
at the 273 yard twelfth to record her second birdie of the round - but better was
to come.
The 282 yard 14th green was found from the tee and the resulting eagle 2 had her card back to level par after 14 holes.
The 282 yard 14th green was found from the tee and the resulting eagle 2 had her card back to level par after 14 holes.
Then the USA college student went from being four over par at one stage to
one under with another birdie on the 16th hole before all her good
work was undone with a succession of poor shots at the difficult penultimate
hole.
She was till 60 yards short of the 17th green and in a bunker after three,then required two more shots to arrive on the putting surface for a three over par triple bogey 7 to blight her card, following up on the final hole with a bogey four.
Nevertheless she signed off with 74 to edge one ahead of MacAngus and win the scratch Nicol Bowl for the first time.
She was till 60 yards short of the 17th green and in a bunker after three,then required two more shots to arrive on the putting surface for a three over par triple bogey 7 to blight her card, following up on the final hole with a bogey four.
Nevertheless she signed off with 74 to edge one ahead of MacAngus and win the scratch Nicol Bowl for the first time.
MacAngus slipped into first handicap place in the Silver
Division with nett 67 after being pipped for the overall handicap trophy on a
last nine hole count-back by Perthshire visitor Susan Ogg from Dunkeld and
Birnham, while the two trophies confined to local members were won by Angela
Grant with a nett card of 69 off 18.
Brora Women's Open Result
CSS: Home 70, Visitors 71
CSS: Home 70, Visitors 71
SCRATCH
74 R Poslon (Peterculter).
75 D MacAngus (Wick).
81 L Beaney (Brora)
83 Y Blyth (Prestonfield)
HANDICAP
Silver Division – D MacAngus (Wick) (8) 67. A Grant (Brora) (18) 69. A Clarke (Brora) (16) 70. Bronze Division – A Darlington (Brora) (29) 71. A Sutherland (Brora) (26) 72. S Anderson (Brora) (27) 74.
74 R Poslon (Peterculter).
75 D MacAngus (Wick).
81 L Beaney (Brora)
83 Y Blyth (Prestonfield)
HANDICAP
Silver Division – D MacAngus (Wick) (8) 67. A Grant (Brora) (18) 69. A Clarke (Brora) (16) 70. Bronze Division – A Darlington (Brora) (29) 71. A Sutherland (Brora) (26) 72. S Anderson (Brora) (27) 74.
Nicol Trophy R Polson.
Hunter Trophy A Grant.
Brora Salver A Grant.
Brora Bowl S Ogg.
Hunter Trophy A Grant.
Brora Salver A Grant.
Brora Bowl S Ogg.
Twenty-four hours later it was the turn of the men to join
the women for the Cairngorm Solar Panels mixed foursomes where one pairing made
a successful defence of the scratch trophy and two other pairings returned to
recapture previously won handicap trophies.
All on her own Peterculter's Rachael Polson scored 74 to win the previous day's women's open and
should have equalled or even bettered this score with the help of her father
Alasdair in the mixed event.
After an outward 38 the Polsons partnership was comfortably defending the scratch Brora Salver, and still just three over par they arrived on the 15th tee where Dad drove out of bounds to raise their inward count to 38.
But their 76 won by three from local head greenkeeper James MacBeath and lady section secretary, Marlene Bokas.
After an outward 38 the Polsons partnership was comfortably defending the scratch Brora Salver, and still just three over par they arrived on the 15th tee where Dad drove out of bounds to raise their inward count to 38.
But their 76 won by three from local head greenkeeper James MacBeath and lady section secretary, Marlene Bokas.
Winners on the low handicap RM Street Shield in 2009 and
2012 local couple Michael MacKintosh and Lynda Mackay won the Shield for a
third time with a nett score of 72.5 while from the higher group regular
Clynelish Week visitors from Edinburgh, Derek and Corine Blyth of Prestonfield
Golf Club, repeated their 2011 winning
of the AL Mackay Quaich with a nett 70.5.
Mixed Results
SCRATCH
A and R Polson (Peterculter) 76; J MacBeath and M Bokas (Brora) 79; L MacDonald (Brora) and R Bonnin (Marseilles) 80.
HANDICAP
Class 1 – M MacKintosh and L Mackay (Brora), A Powell (Murcar Links) and D Powell (Brora) 72.5; C MacDonald (The Nairn) and J McAndrew (Pumphertson) 73.
Class 2 – D and C Blyth (Prestonfield) 70.5; D Macrae (Inverness) and A Sutherland (Brora) 71; J Innes (Inverness) and H Proctor (Golspie) 72; T Dodds and A McCree (Brora) 73.
SCRATCH
A and R Polson (Peterculter) 76; J MacBeath and M Bokas (Brora) 79; L MacDonald (Brora) and R Bonnin (Marseilles) 80.
HANDICAP
Class 1 – M MacKintosh and L Mackay (Brora), A Powell (Murcar Links) and D Powell (Brora) 72.5; C MacDonald (The Nairn) and J McAndrew (Pumphertson) 73.
Class 2 – D and C Blyth (Prestonfield) 70.5; D Macrae (Inverness) and A Sutherland (Brora) 71; J Innes (Inverness) and H Proctor (Golspie) 72; T Dodds and A McCree (Brora) 73.
Labels: Amateur Ladies
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