Sir Bob Charles’s “Tour of Discovery” of Scotland’s links courses continued at Cruden Bay yesterday but the 73-year-old left-handed winner of the 1963 Open did not play as well as he did at Montrose on Tuesday when he beat his age by two strokes.
“I’m sorry to say I had a 77, out in 42, back in 35. The inward half, one over par, wasn’t so bad but I really want to come back and play some of the holes that tripped me up on the outward half,” he said.
“But what a great natural Scottish links course. This was what golf was all about years ago, hard baked fairways, the ball runs for miles but you have to control the bounce, master the pitch and run shot and so on. I didn’t play well on the outward half but I still love links golf and a course like Cruden Bay.”
Sir Bob and his partner, Cruden Bay club pro Robbie Stewart had a square match with two low-handicap Aberdeen amateurs, Jim Hardie and John Crammond.
Hardie is the Aberdeen businessman who spends the Scottish winters in New Zealand and plays regularly with Sir Bob on courses near Christchurch.
Glasgow's Scott Jamieson grabbed a share of third place in the PGA EuroPro Tour's Stoke-by-Nayland championship last night.
The former Scottish amateur number one, a winner on the EuroPro circuit last month, closed with a two-under 70 for a seven-under aggregate of 209 and finished nine shots behind runaway winner, Tom Haylock, who won by eight strokes with a 16-under 200 after a 65.
Tain's Sammy Vass won the Northern Counties' girls' golf tournament for the McDermott Trophy at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club.
Vass had a round of 79, winning the scratch section by 11 shots from Hannah McCook (Abernethy). Natalie Britovsek (Nairn) had the best net score of 72 off a handicap of 24.
Midlothian clinched the East Division team championship at Falkirk Golf Club to complete the list of four qualifiers for the Scottish women's county team golf championship finals.
Having already beaten Scottish champions and divisional title holders Fife as well as East Lothian, Midlothan completed their 100% success record by outclassing Stirling and Clackmannan 8
The line-up in the Scottish county finals in September will be Midlothian, Renfrewshire, Galloway and Northern Counties.