The Northern Counties Cup is in the cabinet at Brora Golf Club after their four-man team triumphed for the first time in the competition since 1985.
The quartet of James Macbeath, Chippie Mailley, Ross Naismith and James Ross recently triumphed at Peterhead, with Brora winning the silverware for only the third time in their club’s history.
The Northern Counties Cup has been staged since 1900 with Brora’s only other success coming in 1977.
Northern Counties Champions 2021
👏🏆💪🏆👊 pic.twitter.com/zhU20ah0iO— Brora Golf Club (@BroraGolfClub) September 19, 2021
It also continued an extraordinary summer of golf for Mailley, who retained the Carnegie Shield at Royal Dornoch in August and has remarkably won every club event he has entered this year.
Mailley, head greenkeeper at The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, and Macbeath, head greenkeeper at Brora, used all their experiences to prevail, with Naismith and Ross also thriving despite playing in the event for the first time.
Red-hot Brora surged to final
In the knockout foursomes format involving the two teams, Brora defeated Elgin (second team), King’s Golf Club, Aberdeen (second team), Fortrose and Rosemarkie in the semi-finals and then Murcar Links in the final.
In a closely-contested final, both Brora teams produced a late birdie blitz to triumph by just one hole overall.
Delight for outgoing club manager
Tony Gill, general manager at Brora GC, was thrilled at the success – especially as he recently announced he will be retiring from his own role.
He said: “I wouldn’t say the guys travelled confidently given the standard of the competition and our history in the event, so it’s a wonderful achievement by the team.
“Ross and James had never played in the event before, yet played admirably alongside James and Chippie.
Went out to @BroraGolfClub today. Made some new friends on the course. pic.twitter.com/BNuXT1neSv
— BK Top Golf (@Top100golfquest) September 25, 2021
“Ross and James have only really started playing regularly in the last five to six years and are down to scratch golfers, with James and Chippie both plus handicap golfers.
“We are really proud of the guys as clearly this type of success hasn’t happened often. It’s absolutely brilliant for them – and for the club.”