Like father, like son as history repeats at Tain golf competition
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IN the late 1950s and early ‘60s, a Dr John Houston from Milngavie’s Hilton Park Golf Club led a group of his club mates to the Royal Hotel in Tain each year where they resided for a week while taking part in the local club’s annual August tournament.
The visitors and their families formed a lasting bond with Tain golfers and their little group, which still survives as The Stotters, lives on in a new generation of visitors and locals.
The Visitors were not just in Tain to party and in 1960 the the doctor won Tain Golf Club’s principal scratch cup, the McVitie and Price. He went on to introduce his son of the same name to golf, and the Stotters group, John Houston junior, now aged 48, added his name to the cup last week with a seventeenth-hole victory over home favourite lefty, Munro Ferries.
When the two local brothers, Munro and Billy Ferries, arrived in the semifinals the home support was hoping for both or at least one of them to make the final. Billy lost his semifinal to John Houston at the second extra hole. But when Munro ousted the winner of the past two years, Nairn-based Fraser Fotheringham, the local seven-time club champion was installed as favourite to end his McVitie and Price cup drought.
But it was Houston who achieved his lifetime ambition, since first accompanying his father to Tain as an eight year old, by winning the penultimate hole and putting the family name back on the McVitie and Price Cup for a second time.
Liam Rostock (24) younger brother of the Carnegie Club’s former assistant professional, Jody Rostock, holed a massive 30-ft putt on the last green to beat Irishman Dennis Hughes (Co. Armagh) to lift the principal handicap cup, the Stirling.
Match Play Results (All Tain unless stated) McVitie and Price Cup – Semi finals – J Houston bt B Ferries at 20th. M Ferries bt F Fotheringham 1 hole. Final Houston bt M Ferries 2/1. Stirling Cup Semis- L Rostock (17) bt C Hughes (12). D Hughes ( Co Armagh) (15) bt C Finlayson (9) 4/2. Final - Rostock bt Hughes 1 up. Munro Rose Bowl; Semis – C Ilett (5) bt B Duff (10). M Ross bt G Duguid (Dunecht House) (7). Final - Ross bt Illett 1 hole. Brooks Cup: Semis – G McIntyre (Hilton Park) bt D MacLeod (10). K Maguire (Dunfermline) bt J MacDonald (17). Final; Maguire bt McIntyre at 22nd.
Tain Golf Week Open Mixed Foursomes
The very successful Golf Week came to an end with the J&I Carpets sponsored mixed foursomes stableford open and it was won by the Fortrose & Rosemarkie pairing of Fiona and John Lackie with 40 stableford points.
Results - F & J Lackie (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) (20) 40 pts. R & S Ginder (Rinkven-Antwerp) (22) 39 pts. R & C Bidwell (Dunkeld & Birnham) (26) 37 pts (bl 6). M & C Ross (Tain) (15) 37 pts. N & F Hampton (RDGC) (6) 36 Pts. B & L Edwards ( Alloa) (24) 34 pts.
Ladies 2 Round Stableford — 1 C Dodds (36) 73 points, winner of the The Flower Shop London House Cup; 2 G Hughes (27) Hilton Park 68, winner of The Hayden Trophy; 3 C Barker, Cookridge Hall (13) 65; 4 J Borley, Invergordon (13) 62, better 2nd round.
Best individual round (Monday) — A Duncan (25) 32.
Best individual round (Tuesday) — S Hughes, County Armagh (23) 35 BIH.
Gents 4-Day Tournament Qualifying Rounds
Scratch and McVitie & Price Cup — 1C Toal (Old Ranfurly) 142; 2 M Ferries 146; 3 K Hamilton (Didsbury) 147; 4 B Ferries 150; 5 D Vass 150; 6 F Fotheringham 152; 7 A Pater (Pannal) 153; 8 I Cowper 154; 9 J Russell (Murcar Links) 155; 10 D Rainey (Mar Hall) 156; 11 A Gunn 156; 12 E Morrison 157;13 Alan MacKenzie 158; 14 G Smith 159; 15 J MacIver 161; 16 J Houston 161.
Handicap – Stirling Cup — 1 I MacKay (14) 145; 2 2. S Paterson (10) 147; 3 E Chisholm (11) 148; 4 S Campbell (10) 148; 5 B Mitchell (8) 148; 6 D Hughes (15), County Armagh 149; 7 S MacLeod (10), Kenilworth 150; 8 C Hughes (12) 150; 9 B Waddell (10) 150; 10 C Finlayson (9) 150; 11 D J MacKay (8) 151; 12 M Lloyd (14), East Sussex 151; 13 L Rostock(17) 151; 14 D R MacKay (11), Elmwood G S 151; 15 K MacGillvray (6), RDGC 151; 16 F Christie (8), Mapperley 151.
Handicap – Munro Rose Bowl — 1 K Ross (6), Royal Eastbourne 152; 2 D Neville (9) 152; 3 F MacKay (8) Tarbat 152; 4 S Sutherland (6) 152; 5 A Aiken (5), Peebles 153; 6 A Watt (7), 153; 7 I Watt (8), Douglas 154; 8 B Duff (10) 154; 9 C Stewart (6), Dunbar 154; 10 M Ross (8) 156; 11 S McLuckie (6), Hilton Park 157; 12 K Smith (6) 157; 13 C Ilett (5) 158; 14 G Duguid (7), Dunecht House 160; 15 I MacDonald (8), Murcar Links 160; 16 G Toal (9), Ranfurly Castle 161.
Handicap – Brookes Cup — 1 K Anderson (15) 153; 2 T Waddell (15) 153; 3 M McAuley (13), RDGC 153; 4 G McIntyre (10), Hilton Park 155; 5 G MacKay (13) 155; 6 J MacDonald (17) 156; 7 K Maguire (10), Dunfermline 157; 8 D MacLeod (10) 157; 9 H McIntyre (21), Hilton Park 158; 10 D MacKay (11), Quail Valley 158; 11 Sam Houston (23), Hilton Park 158; 12 A McKinlay (14) 159; 13 M Sutherland (13) 159; 14 K MacDonald (10), Royal Musselburgh 160; 15 A MacLeod (13) 161; 16 K Hutchison (15) 161.
MUIR OR ORD GOLF CLUB –(CSS 73) – Mackenzie of Ord Rosebowl – P Morrison (13) 73; F Graham (24) 76 – (CSS 710 – Ladies August Medal – Silver – A Mackay (20) 73; P Morrison (13) 73 – Bronze – D Mackay (26) 73; J Fraser (22) 76 – (CSS 68) – Midweek Stableford – D Ross (10) 45pts; M Smyth (27) 41pts; C Bell (17) 40pts – (CSS 68) – Gents August Medal – Scr – J R Mackay 68 – 0-9 – P Brindle (9) 64; G Mellis (4) 65 – 10-18 – J Allen (16) 62; M Gray (10) 64 – 19-28 – P Green (21) 69; M Smyth (25) 69 – (CSS 68) – Midweek Strokeplay – S Fraser (13) 61; D Spark (16) 62; G Mellis (3) 64 – (H: CSS 68 V: CSS 70) – Glen Ord Open – Scr – E Mackenzie 68; S McIntosh 70; S Forbes 71; G Mellis 71 – 0-13 – I Dickie (9) 63; K MacGruer (8) 64; M Gray (9) 65; C Speirs (12) 66 – 14-28 – I Rae (15) 65; M MacDonald (17) 66; P Mackenzie (15) 66; D A MacLennan (14) 69.
