Players triumph over the elements at Airdrie Golf Club pro-am

Jul 2 2008 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

Pro Am was awash with great scores

TORRENTIAL rain forced play in Airdrie Golf Club’s £8000 Pro-Am to be suspended for an hour as Scotland’s top professionals battled the elements as well as the challenging course.

The competition was brought to a soggy halt last Wednesday as a huge downpour soaked the greens and fairways.

Fortunately, the event was able to continue following the stoppage and by the end there were joint-winners with Craig Mathieson of Falkirk Tryst and Ladybank pro Alan Lockhart sharing the honours after carding four-under-par scores of 65.

It was an interesting day for 25-year-old Mathieson who was three under after the first four holes – but found himself one over by the seventh.

He said: “The condition of the course was fantastic and the greens were consistent in their speed.

“But on a lot of the holes you just had to play for position.

“I felt I played well and I was really pleased with my putting as that area of my game has been a problem for me this season.”

A double bogey on the seventh proved costly overall for Lockhart but he was pleased with his display which included six birdies.

The 27-year-old said: “We didn’t have a drop of rain on our round which was good but it was quite windy.

“It is a pretty tough course at Airdrie and I really enjoyed it. I suppose the double bogey cost me but I am not one to dwell on things.”

The blustery conditions proved challenging for the competitors but the players demonstrated their skills as 16 pros scored par or better.

Local success was secured in the team event with professional Ian Graham, of Crow Wood, part of the Airdrie Savings Bank side which lifted the top prize with a net score of 55.

It was a stroke better than three teams, one of which included Airdrie Golf Club captain Allan Hall, who were all tied in second place.

Afterwards, Mr Hall paid tribute to the club’s greenkeeping staff for the condition of the course and its ability to recover quickly from the downpour.

Chairman of the organising committee, Jim Dempsey, thanked the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) and the tournament sponsors for their continued support.

There were holes-in-one for Stirling pro Greg Rankin at the fourth and amateur Sam Harris on the eighth.