Shetland Golf Club

With the season soon drawing to a close, golfers at Dale have been making the best of the late summer weather with the course still in excellent condition. The final open competition of the year took place last Saturday with Ernie Smith lifting the LEF Open shield after a play-off.

The conclusion of the Summer League also needed a play-off after both Ronnie Birnie and Chris Conboy had tied on 20 points over the season. However, they still couldn’t be separated after 18 holes but it was Birnie who eventually triumphed when he birdied the third play-off hole.

Stuart Anderson won the Haig Whisky Trophy with a stableford score of 40 points, beating Michael Welsh to first place by virtue of a better back nine score. In third place was Rab Duffin on a score of 39 points and John Teale was fourth on 38 points.

The J W Gray Trophy was won last Sunday by Alan Harcus with a score of 73, net 68, again Michael Welsh was in second place on net 69 and Stuart Anderson was third on net 71.

The September medal was won by Dave McNicol with a score of 78, net 67, as a result of having a better back nine from both Grant Wiseman and Ernie Smith.

The final open competition of the year saw the LEF Open played last Saturday on a dry day with a strong southerly wind. In the scratch section Ernie Smith and Michael Boxwell both returned scores of 74 meaning that a sudden death play-off would be required. The players set off down the tenth with Boxwell finding the fairway but Smith pulled his tee shot slightly left, finding a good line in from the seventh fairway. Smith’s second shot saw him miss the green but he made up for it in spectacular fashion by chipping in to the hole with his third. With Boxwell already having played three shots this ensured that Smith took first place and the LEF Open shield.  In third place was Stuart Fox with a score of 75.

In the handicap section Ian Scott took first place with a score of 75, net 67, beating Ian Pottinger’s 83, also net 67, by virtue of a better back nine. One shot back in fourth place was Dougie Shearer with a score of 77, net 68. Magnus Leask was fourth with 78, net 70, and Stuart Anderson was fifth with 76, net 71.

Other prizes on offer saw Stuart Fox win the longest drive on the 15th, Gary Wiseman was nearest the pin on the twelfth and Glenn Gilfillan was nearest the pin in two on the sixth.

The LEF Open was also the last qualifying event for next year’s Island Games team, with Alan Harcus, Jordan Leask and Tom Simpson already having enough points to qualify there was still one place up for grabs. Whalsay’s Stuart Anderson was lying in fourth place overall and a score of 76 gave him fifth place in the competition and enough points to qualify ahead of Ernie Smith by just a single point.