TWO Selkirk golfers are heading for Carnoustie next week as the Allied Scottish Amateur Championship tees off.
Michael Robertson and Donald Ballantyne will join the country’s leading amateur golfers at the venue of last year’s Open Championship.
This year’s competition attracted a record entry, with 383 players applying for the 256 prized spots. The result
ing handicap ballot fell at 0.6, another record, illustrating the lure of one of the world’s best courses and the Scottish Golf Union’s most-coveted prize.
At the time of entering, both Michael and Donald were playing off scratch although Michael, who made the last 32 in the same competition in 2000, has dropped to +1 following a recent bad patch.
He told us: “I haven’t been playing my best recently but hopefully a change of scenery will change that.
“Carnoustie is the hardest course in Britain but I’m looking forward to giving it a go.”
The championship gets under way at 6.45am on Monday with 256 players competing head-to-head in matchplay format, culminating in a 36-hole final next Saturday, August 2.
Both Michael and Donald play their opening rounds on the second day with the former teeing off against Duddingston’s David Miller at 8.29am while Donald will be up with the larks when he plays Kevin Reid (Dunbar) at nine minutes past seven.
Entrance to the event is free for spectators, while live scoring can be found at www.scottishgolfunion.org so users can monitor the players’ progress throughout the week.
Last year’s event was won by John Gallagher (Swanston New) who defeated Keir McNicoll in the final.
Other former winners include Colin Montgomerie (1987), Stephen Gallagher (1992), Dean Robertson (1993) and Steven O’Hara (2000).
The full article contains 301 words and appears in Selkirk Weekend Advertiser newspaper.
