Result - Blue Tees Competition. PGA. Sat 25th July.
The Mighty Dun Whinny entourage. Logie looking a touch concerned. Longmuir thinking ‘Taz can outdrive this guy’. K. Dickson looking nonchalant. Page choosing an iron to keep it in play. McColgan wishing he had a Costa coffee. Simpson getting ready! Crockart seems to be playing his zip. Lord Lewis wishing he had stood closer and Tony Moran still towering over him!
Mike Collier Claims the Blue Tee Challenge as the Seniors Take the King's
While the world's finest senior professionals were busy carving up the King's Course — led by the remarkable Cameron Percy and his stunning opening 63 — Dun Whinny members headed to the PGA Centenary for the annual Blue Tee Challenge. The King's may have been otherwise engaged, but the PGA from the blues proved, once again, that it requires absolutely no assistance in making life difficult.
The weather was, in the finest tradition of a Scottish summer, entirely uncooperative. Cold, blustery and with a wind that seemed to arrive from several directions simultaneously, conditions were a far cry from the glorious sunshine that graced the Jack Adams Trophy the previous week. Scoring was always going to be hard work, and the leaderboard reflected exactly that.
Against that backdrop, Mike Collier produced a composed and determined performance to claim the Blue Tee Challenge title with 26 Stableford points. It was not a day for fireworks — the wind saw to that — but Collier's ability to grind out points when the conditions are against him is a genuine asset. He was pushed all the way by Allister Wallace, who also finished on 26 points, but it was Collier who prevailed on countback courtesy of a superior back nine. On a day when every point felt hard-earned, that margin was entirely fitting.
Congratulations to Mike on a well-deserved victory and to Allister on an excellent performance that so nearly claimed the title.
Rob Crockart and Ryan Longmuir shared third place on 25 points, with Crockart once again demonstrating his remarkable ability to post a competitive score regardless of conditions. Longmuir's 25 points from a playing handicap of just 10 was a particularly impressive effort on a course playing every inch of its considerable yardage.
Steven Smart and Mark Nicolson both returned 24 points, with Keith Stirling and Jonathan Fletcher also on 24, making for a tightly packed chasing group. Michael Page and Kevin Dickson finished on 23 points, while Ken Marshall — one of the season's most consistent performers — also carded 23, perhaps finding the blue tees a touch less forgiving than his usual haunts.
Notably absent from the top of the leaderboard was David Logie, who finished on 22 points — a respectable enough return, but one that came with a story that will undoubtedly be retold in the clubhouse for some time.
The Club Champion, it appears, was so inspired by the proximity of the Seniors Open that he decided to attempt a shot that would not have looked out of place on the professional tour. From the 7th tee, Mr Logie launched a drive of considerable ambition — and considerable hook — that sailed majestically over the boundary and came to rest on the 3rd fairway of the King's Course. One can only imagine the reaction of any passing Seniors Open spectators who witnessed a Dun Whinny member's ball landing uninvited on their championship course.
After a brief and no doubt illuminating conversation with a rules official, Mr Logie was granted a free drop. What followed was, by all accounts, a quite brilliant recovery — he still managed to par the hole. It was, in its own extraordinary way, a display of the class that makes him Club Champion. The route was unconventional. The outcome was not.
David McColgan, playing off a plus handicap, found the blue tees a stern examination, returning 17 points, while Andy Lothian and Kevin Beattie struggled in the conditions on 14 and 11 points respectively.
Yellow Tee Alternative — Kelly Cruises to Victory
For those who wisely elected to contest the Yellow Tee Alternative, the PGA was a considerably more hospitable experience — though the wind was no respecter of tee colours.
Paul Kelly was in imperious form, claiming the Yellow Tee title with an excellent 28 Stableford points. It was a commanding performance and a timely reminder that Kelly — who reached the Millennium Trophy Final earlier this summer — remains one of the club's most dangerous competitors in any format.
Billy Z McNeill continued his consistent season with 24 points in second place, while Robert McLeary took third on 22 points. Ian Fisher and Jonathan Dickson rounded out the field on 18 and 17 points respectively.
With the Seniors Open now in full swing on the King's, Dun Whinny's competitive season continues apace on the PGA and Queen's. Congratulations once again to Mike Collier and Paul Kelly on their respective victories, and to every member who braved the elements to compete today.
The King's will return to us soon enough. In the meantime, let's hope Cameron Percy enjoys his moment in the spotlight — and that Mr Logie's next drive stays on the correct course.
