Next weekend sees the start of the Carnegie Shield at Royal Dornoch Golf Club. The club offers a number of open competitions, for other clubs in the area and for holidaying golfers, but the Carnegie Shield is the biggest of the lot.
Qualifying takes place on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in 36 holes of stroke play. The lowest score for the two rounds is recognised with the award of the Silver Medal. Higher handicap players qualify on Sunday and Monday, with the more accomplished golfers competing on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The main competition is a scratch matchplay tournament.
On Thursday morning 32 players with the lowest scratch scores in qualifying compete in 16 matches for the right to progress to the next rounds. Friday morning the 16 is reduced to 8 and in the afternoon that 8 goes down to 4. Saturday morning sees two matches, with the winners competing in the final match in the afternoon.
This series of videos records the competition in 2010 and shows the opening day, the first hole of the final match, and the prize giving.
For the first time in quite a while, this years final was played out between two local heroes – Christopher “Chippy” Mailey and Alexander Macdonald. Mailey was the defending champion, and Macdonald had triumphed over 3 time winner Biggadike in their semi-final.
Both have been amongst the best players in the club for the last 10 years, or more so this contest was expected to be a real showdown, with the scratch players trading birdies.
In the event Mailey’s game deserted him and Macdonald ran out comfortably winning at 6 up with 5 to play.
The video shows how they played the first hole in glorious sunshine and followed by an expectant crowd.
Mailey pushed his drive to the right while Macdonald smoothed an iron into perfect position in the center of the fairway.
First with the approach, Macdonald eased a wedge into the heart of the green, about 12 feet short of the hole.
Mailey’s shot was much more difficult, coming out of thick rough, across an approach foreshortened by the large bunker and over the smaller trap guarding the green. His pitch landed nicely in the middle of the green, but ran on, slipping off the side. The next approach with the putter was close enough to ensure a 4.
But Macdonald made that putt un-necessary, stroking in his birdie. And he must have continued in the same vein.
Both weather and golf course were in the finest of conditions but the golfing gods deserted defending champion Mailey and Macdonald ran out the comfortable winner.
In his valedictory speech Macdonald graciously, in the true spirit of golf, acknowledged the misfortune suffered by Mailey and the generosity of 3 time winner Biggadike who he’d conquered on the last hole in the semi final earlier in the day.
Qualifying takes place on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in 36 holes of stroke play. The lowest score for the two rounds is recognised with the award of the Silver Medal. Higher handicap players qualify on Sunday and Monday, with the more accomplished golfers competing on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The main competition is a scratch matchplay tournament.
On Thursday morning 32 players with the lowest scratch scores in qualifying compete in 16 matches for the right to progress to the next rounds. Friday morning the 16 is reduced to 8 and in the afternoon that 8 goes down to 4. Saturday morning sees two matches, with the winners competing in the final match in the afternoon.
This series of videos records the competition in 2010 and shows the opening day, the first hole of the final match, and the prize giving.
For the first time in quite a while, this years final was played out between two local heroes – Christopher “Chippy” Mailey and Alexander Macdonald. Mailey was the defending champion, and Macdonald had triumphed over 3 time winner Biggadike in their semi-final.
Both have been amongst the best players in the club for the last 10 years, or more so this contest was expected to be a real showdown, with the scratch players trading birdies.
In the event Mailey’s game deserted him and Macdonald ran out comfortably winning at 6 up with 5 to play.
The video shows how they played the first hole in glorious sunshine and followed by an expectant crowd.
Mailey pushed his drive to the right while Macdonald smoothed an iron into perfect position in the center of the fairway.
First with the approach, Macdonald eased a wedge into the heart of the green, about 12 feet short of the hole.
Mailey’s shot was much more difficult, coming out of thick rough, across an approach foreshortened by the large bunker and over the smaller trap guarding the green. His pitch landed nicely in the middle of the green, but ran on, slipping off the side. The next approach with the putter was close enough to ensure a 4.
But Macdonald made that putt un-necessary, stroking in his birdie. And he must have continued in the same vein.
Both weather and golf course were in the finest of conditions but the golfing gods deserted defending champion Mailey and Macdonald ran out the comfortable winner.
In his valedictory speech Macdonald graciously, in the true spirit of golf, acknowledged the misfortune suffered by Mailey and the generosity of 3 time winner Biggadike who he’d conquered on the last hole in the semi final earlier in the day.
