Golf Club Championships

Frank Cassidy 1538 - 1538 • Published 16 Aug 2007 16:10

They all fought their way through the qualifying and early match play stages of the Club Championship to the semi-final stage where, in a draw which could not have been better scripted, the teenagers avoided meeting one another.

This left the possibility of an all-teenager senior final which would have involved the postponement of the Junior Championship Final where they were due to play one another.

David McGregor, aged 21, and 41-year-old Peter Haggarty had different ideas and brought to an end the younger men"s aspirations of the major trophy with David defeating the then current champion at both senior and junior levels by two and one.

Meanwhile Peter, assistant golf club manager at the prestigious Loch Lomond Golf Club brought David"s progress to a halt by four and three, setting the scene for what was to prove to be a memorable day at the Burgh club with both finals taking place.

In the Club Championship Final Peter and David got off to a flying start with six birdies between them in the first five holes and the match all square.

An uncharacteristic double bogey at the sixth hole from Peter left David in the lead, which he held until the 14th, apart from losing it at the eleventh but immediately recapturing it at the twelfth.

A concession by David at the 17th saw Peter coming in for lunch one up.

David, the son of Bobby McGregor, a much honoured swimmer and silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, showed his character immediately on the restart by winning the 19th with yet another birdie and bringing the match back to level.

Peter however gathered momentum to win the 21st and 22nd to widen the gap to two only to lose the 24th and 25th to restore parity.

Another birdie from David, who is planning to go to an American University at the turn of the year, put his nose in front at the 31st.

He was able to retain that lead until what should have been the last green where he missed a five foot putt to win the title and to send the match into extra holes.

At the first extra hole he was again in pole position and failed to capitalise, but did not allow these missed opportunities to deflect him from his main purpose when he struck a six foot putt with determination and accuracy for a birdie at the second extra hole, to win the title with an exhibition of skill, determination and character.

In the Junior Final, David Parlane, shortly to head to Middle Tennessee State University, went ahead at the third hole and retained that lead until the 22nd when Simon, a Stirling University undergraduate, levelled the tie with a birdie.

Not for long, though, as David managed to regain the lead at the next hole with another birdie - a lead which he kept until the 36th hole where his par putt earned him the championship by two holes.

The Ladies Championship Final was a remarkable match between previous champions Babs Robertson and Lady Captain Lynn McCathie, the latter seeking to win the title for the 18th time.

Lynn"s performance matched her determination to achieve that aim when she won the first five holes, then Babs made inroads into the margin by winning the next two.

She followed with a burst of three in a row from the twelfth ultimately squaring the game for the first time with two holes to go before Lynn reasserted her authority by winning both to regain the Championship with a two-hole margin.

In the Ladies Bronze Championship, despite losing the first two holes, Anne Trail went on to beat Gail Waddell by five and three.

The Qualifying stages of the Peel and 1963 Trophies went ahead after last week"s postponement and the leading qualifiers were Colin Dick in the Peel with 80 and Donnie Nicolson in the 1963 with 91.

Both, along with Peter Haggarty as top qualifier in the Club Championship, received their salvers from Jimmy Ramsay representing the generous sponsors, Anne and Joe Hutchison of Helensburgh Floorplan.

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This article appeared in Helensburgh Advertiser 16 Aug 07

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