SCOTTISH OPEN 2008: RESULTS

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3rd& 4th May 2008
FANMORE, ISLE of MULL,PA73 6LX
PDGA C Tier Event
BDGA 2008 Tour Event #5

Full results / scores here

Del victorious in wild Highland showpiece
This year's Scottish Open was the poorest attended in recent memory, with just 21 players entered (down from 60 two years ago) - difficult to understand given that the unique Highland hillside course at Fanmore on the Isle of Mull is one of the most established, has the best views, and is staged over a bank holiday weekend. Some may have been dissuaded from travelling by the weather forecast, which had promised wild winds and heavy rain throughout the weekend. Whatever the reason, those who stayed away were the losers, missing an extreme disc golfing experience that will live long in the memory (and feature in the occasional nightmare!).
Like last year, the weather teased practising players on Friday, with sunshine and a challenging, but manageable, 15mph SE breeze. The course design had been re-visited by Charlie Mead and Andy Lucey, with the short "filler" holes replaced by longer more demanding challenges, exemplified by the new hole 8. For the last couple of years this hole had required a short, level, 70m chip shot into the ruined house, inside which the basket was sited. The tee this year was placed well up the hill, requiring a steep downhill drive, and an approach, to get near the basket. Add to this that the hole played directly into the wind all weekend, and you may get a sense of the difficulty involved.
Saturday morning brought with it the predicted force 7 (35mph) SE winds, which persisted throughout the day. It was a matter of gritted teeth endurance while getting used to the conditions in the first round - downwind drives dropped like a stone, while even the most over-stable discs were turning over into the wind. Jester Wilson's experience on Hole 3 was typical of many others - his low Firebird drive, thrown with plenty of hyser into the wind, seemed initially to fly well - straightening, turning over slightly, before fading back…but all the while the wind was lifting the disc and ultimately boomeranged it back barely a metre in front of the tee! Conventional approach shots were a risky lottery, with the improvised upturned thumber proving more successful. Putting was no less problematic, and even "living legend" / Hall of Famer / 16-time British Champion, Derek Robins was seen refusing a putt from less than two metres (admittedly, it was up hill into the wind on the dreaded 9th). At lunch, shell-shocked players huddled together to exchange tales of horror in hushed tones, so as not to frighten the children. Unsurprisingly, by the end of the day, Del's experience had taken him to a two shot lead with rounds of 60 & 59 (5 over par in total), with Jester just behind, and Charlie a further ten adrift. In the Advanced Ams, Richard Clegg, seeking to retain his trophy, took an early lead with a first round 70, only to explode spectacularly with a soul-destroying 92 in R2. Meanwhile, 12 year old "Wee" Ben Bruce improved by ten shots over Saturdays rounds to hold the overnight lead at +28, seven ahead of Jesse Denny. But for an 11 on hole 9, Jesse had played consistently well and would otherwise have shared the lead. Neighbouring crofter Johnny Simpson put his local knowledge to good effect, taking an early lead that he extended round by round.
At least it hadn't rained on Saturday. Sunday morning made up for that, with a heavy downpour adding to the persisting gale. Disc towels were soon soaked, and many players struggled to throw wet discs with wet hands. Del coped much better than Jester (fully ten shots better over the round), exemplified by their contrasting experiences on hole 12, right at the top of the course: Jester's drive was close enough for an easy 3 - Del's 50m away down the hill. Del sent his approach into the chains, while Jester four-putted in the wind. Ouch. Jester fought back in round 4 (7 shots better than Del), but by then it was too late. Charlie, Andy and Angus Bruce were the other Open Finalists, with Angus moving ahead of Andy to finish fourth, while Charlie was third.
In the Advanced Ams, Wee Ben & Jesse had identical Sunday round scores (65, 64). They were joined in the Final by Duncan Hartshorne, who had recorded a searing 61 in round 4, local ace Ben Bolton and James Luton. Ben held his nerve in the Final (eventually winning by eight) - the youngest player to lift a BDGA Tour Divisional trophy.
Gremlin's traditional RNLI raffle raised £76 - an excellent total for just 21 players.

Summary:

OPEN
1. Del 257
2. Jester 262
3. Charlie 277
4. Angus 282
5. Andy 284

ADVANCED AM
1. Wee Ben 290
2. Jesse 298
3. Dunc 309
4. Ben Bolton 317
5. James 322

INTERMEDIATE AM
1. Johnny the Crofter 306
2. Neil Halton 330
3. Martin Smith 372
4. Georgia Lucey 427
5. Maddie Lucey 465

Junior Girls Champion - Georgia
Junior Junior Champion - Wee Ben
Junior Champion - James
Champion Woman - Louise Holden

CTP: Jester (Sat), Dan Luton (Sun)
Long Drive: Dunc (Sat), Tom Soper (Sun)
Long Putt: Scuttler (Sat), Johnny the Crofter (Sun)
Spirit of the Game: Tom Soper