Mens Tournaments - Season 2008-2009

RBS Challenge Shield 9 - 13 September 08
Meiklejohn wins by half a point...

With the summer season drawing to a close the final round of the RBS Challenge Shield was played at Thurso Golf Club on Saturday. On a seriously windy day cutting shots off eclectic scores was never going to be easy but a few shots were saved.

Saturday's round was won by Stephen Cowie on count back from Alf Williamson after both returned very good nett 69's in such difficult conditions.

Cowie, who hasn't played a lot of golf this year, was only two over par at the turn and kept his game together well on the back nine for the day's low round of gross 76.

After a good front nine, Williamson continued to go well on the way in until an eight at the penultimate hole proved costly.

A couple of in-form players, Keith Dreaves and Alan Kennedy, finished next best on nett 70 and 71, respectively.

Jim Meiklejohn didn't play the final round and also saw his score go up thanks to a recent handicap cut but none the less emerged as the shield winner with a score of nett 60, half a shot clear of Mark Mackay and Angus Cameron who finished in that order after their scores on the inward nine were taken into account.

Alastair Bell was next best on nett 61.5 and fifth place was taken by Harvey Cowe who improved by five places as a result of a birdie at the eighth and a par at the eleventh on Saturday.

RBS Challenge Shield 8 - 31 August 08
Dreaves continues his good season of form...

The RBS Challenge Shield at Thurso Golf Club is an eclectic competition. According to the Chambers dictionary, eclectic means the best of everything but in golfing terms, for 'everything' read the best score at each hole achieved during the period of the competition.

So far, eight rounds of the shield have been played with the final round scheduled for next Saturday.

Sixty three was the winning score again on Sunday when Keith Dreaves improved his previous day's score by nine shots to win by a couple of shots from Jack Johnstone.

Some of the Dreaves' magic must have rubbed off on playing partner Billy Sutherland who had a nett 66 as did Jim McLeod who had the day's low round of gross 74.

Jim Meiklejohn, who shared the lead with Mark Mackay going into the weekend's rounds, is now outright leader by two shots from Mackay and Angus Cameron, courtesy of birdies at the sixth and thirteenth holes.

Trevor Henderson moved from fourth to fifth overall despite a two shot improvement after being overtaken by Alastair Bell who improved by eight shots.

Despite making the effort to play in both the challenge shield and the Wick Open, Mackay went unrewarded and stayed on nett 60.

RBS Challenge Shield 7 - 30 August 08
Henderson wins by 2...

Saturday's seventh round was a triumph for Trevor Henderson.

Generally the first name on the sheet each week, Henderson, a twelve handicap player, fairly scorched round for a gross 75, nett 63, to win by two shots from young Allyn Sutherland and Ronnie Mowat.

Henderson was three over par for both halves of his round that contained no birdies.

Sutherland and Mowat also played very consistently in finishing two shots clear of a group of four players that included Stephen Spargo, whose gross 73 was the lowest of the day.

RBS Challenge Shield 6 - 23 August 08
Battle in the family is on with Ronnie win...

Ronald Mackay was four shots clear of the field in the latest round of the RBS Challenge Shield on Saturday with an excellent nett 66 that helped him into fifth place in the shield, currently lead by his son Mark and Jim Meiklejohn on nett 60.

Donald Farquhar and Angus Cameron were next best with nett 70 and Jim Sangster's 72 was the lowest gross round of the day.

RBS Challenge Shield - Halfway Results - 13 August 08
Ratter and Jim lead the way...

The RBS Challenge Shield is now at the half way stage and is currently lead by Mark Mackay and Jim Meiklejohn with an eclectic score of nett 60, three shots clear of their nearest challenger.

RBS Challenge Shield 5 - 10 August 08
Alistair rings the Bell for this round...

Round five on Sunday was won by Alastair Bell, getting plenty of practice during the school holidays, with nett 67 after scoring the day's low round of gross 73.

Eann McIntosh was a shot behind the winner in second place. Meiklejohn and Mackay filled the next two places.

RBS Challenge Shield 4 - 03 August 08
Mackay wins against the weather...

Playing before the Junior Open, competitors in Sunday's RBS Challenge Shield had to endure some pretty miserable weather that probably accounted for the high proportion of no returns. Mark Mackay, nett 68, and Peter O'Hare, a shot further back, claimed the sweep money.

RBS Challenge Shield 3 - 20 July 08
Action Jackson on form...

Conditions for both weekend competitions were pretty demanding with strong winds the main problem.

Neil Jackson was a convincing winner of the latest round of the RBS Challenge Shield on Sunday. His nett 67 was five shots clear of Keith Dreaves in second place with Mick Ross a further shot back in third place. Jackson's outward nine of 38 was particularly impressive in the prevailing weather conditions.

RBS Challenge Shield 2 - 28 June 08
Henderson wins in the rain...

Most of the competitors in the Royal Bank of Scotland Challenge Cup the previous day got a good soaking for their troubles but the rain apparently did not bother Graeme Henderson as he returned a very good nett 65 to win by four shots from a group of three players.

Mark Mackay seemed to be well out of things after taking 44 shots for the outward nine but the nine handicap player parred every hole on the way in to beat father Ronald on count back.

Donald Jack, with the day's best gross score of 76 earned a bit of sweep money for fourth place.

RBS Challenge Shield 1 - 01 June 08
Young Eddie stays steady for a sixty...

Sunday's first round of the Challenge Shield also yielded some excellent scores with Iain Boyd's nett 60 the best of the lot and two clear of Keith Dreaves and Mark Mackay. Those three have had appropriate handicap cuts under Rule 19 of the handicapping system.

Charles Burness had the lowest round of the day, a gross 71, nett 65, to take fourth place and the rest of the sweep money.

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