14/07/11
Bothwell Castle’s Andy Braidwood and Jim Callaghan topped the qualifiers in the fourth Regional Final of the Belhaven Best Captains & Secretaries Championship at Hamilton today.
Braidwood, the club captain and Callaghan, the Bothwell Castle secretary, combined to great effect to return a seven under par score of 64. Haggs Castle captain, Neale Stewart and assistant secretary Dominic Macari matched the seven under par total, but it was the Lanarkshire pairing who took first prize courtesy of the better inward half.
On a day of low scoring amid glorious conditions and the excellent Hamilton course, no fewer than twenty one clubs broke par in the better-ball scoring format, but with only the top eight qualifying for September’s final, the cut mark fell at four-under par 67.
Lothians club BBT, with the pairing of Tommy Cadger and Graeme Wallace, earned third prize with a fine six-under par 65, while host club Hamilton’s combination of captain Stuart Smellie and secretary Graham MacKenzie made local knowledge count with the same score to book their place in the final, finishing in fourth spot.
Also on the six-under par mark were Hayston’s Phil Thelwell and Jim Neil in fifth place virtue of the countback, while Royal Dornoch’s Neil Hampton and Hamish McRae made the long journey south worthwhile, clinching sixth spot with a fine five-under par 66.
Four clubs shared seventh spot on four-under par, but it was Helensburgh and Maybole who sneaked the final two qualifying spots on the better inward half, with Sanquar and Playsport the unlucky clubs who just missed out.
The fifth and final regional qualifying event takes place next month at Williamwood, with the 2011 Belhaven Best Captains & Secretaries Championship Final being staged at Pollok Golf Club on Wednesday 21 September.
Click here for all the scores from today’s Regional Final at Hamilton.