Result - Gordon Lockhart 36 Hole “Iron Man” Challenge. Saturday 9th August. King’s/Queen’s.

Gordon Lockhart Trophy – Round 1 Report from the King’s (AM)

On a day that offered a bit of everything from the Scottish sky—high winds, blustery showers and the odd burst of sunshine—the opening round of the Gordon Lockhart Trophy on the King’s Course asked stern questions and rewarded only the most disciplined golf.

David Mitchell set the early standard with a composed net 73, a round built on fairway-first pragmatism and tidy lag putting when the gusts made anything inside six feet feel like guesswork. One back on 74 sits Eric Lambert, whose low, penetrating flight was tailor‑made for the conditions, joined by Jon Cooper, equally at home shaping shots under the wind’s shoulder.

A packed chasing group on 75 includes Billy McNeill and Colin Campbell, both hanging tough through the squalls, while Ken Marshall posted a solid 76—exactly the sort of durable effort we’ve come to expect from a man for whom 36 holes in a day is just another Wednesday. Given how much golf he plays, expect him to keep grinding while others tire this afternoon on the Queen’s.

Among our ones to watch, there was plenty to like. Recent Summer Meeting winners Mark Higham and Kevin Beattie both kept themselves in the conversation—Higham with a battling 78 and Beattie a shot better at 77—each card featuring stretches of smart course management punctuated by the occasional wind‑induced stumble. Daley Smith matched 77, hinting at a move if he finds a hot putter after lunch. Rob Crockart and Jonathan Dickson had to lean on resilience (78 and 84 respectively), the breeze proving particularly unforgiving for anything overly bold.

Further back, Andy Barton’s 77 was a quietly efficient card that could look formidable if the afternoon gusts stiffen, while Andrew McGill matched Marshall’s 76 with a ball‑striking clinic that deserved even better on the greens.

With the field tightly bunched and the forecast offering more of the same—sunbreaks between squalls—the Queen’s Course will reward flight control, patience and stamina. Mitchell carries the target on his back, Lambert and Cooper are ideally placed to pounce, and the likes of Marshall, Beattie, Smith and Higham have both the form and the temperament to mount a charge. In conditions like these, momentum can change in a heartbeat; expect the trophy picture to sharpen—and perhaps flip—over the closing holes this afternoon.

Gordon Lockhart Trophy – Final Report

The Gordon Lockhart Trophy dished up a classic Scottish test: high winds that bullied golf balls off lines, blustery showers that soaked sleeves between sunshine, and greens that asked for both touch and nerve. By day’s end, one player managed the mayhem just that bit better than the rest.

Rob Crockart is your champion with a superb 146 (68 Queens PM + 78 Kings AM), edging a trio of chasers by a single shot. Crockart’s day was a full-blooded adventure. He heroically nursed the same ball from dawn, through hedgerows and heather, repeatedly attempting to part company with it, only to finally commit it to a watery grave at the Queen’s 14th after a shanked tee shot produced a watery 7. No matter: there was enough stout golf either side of the carnage to lift the silverware. It was the sort of gritty, gale-proof scoring that wins 36‑hole trophies, not beauty contests.

Three players finished one shot back on 147: Andrew McGill (71 + 76), Billy McNeill (72 + 75), and David Mitchell (74 + 73). Mitchell set the tone in the morning with the day’s steadiest card on the King’s and never blinked; McNeill was granite all day, shaping the ball low and letting it run; and McGill, well, he somehow turned chaos into contention.

McGill’s front-nine soap opera began at the 2nd where he four‑putted as the wind mischievously nudged his ball about like a cat with a toy. Most would have let that define the round; he simply squared the shoulders and kept marching. It says plenty that he still signed for a total good enough to miss out by one. On another day, with one fewer gust, he’s posing with the silver rose bowl.

Not everyone found the gusts so forgiving. Dr Jonny Dickson opened his afternoon card with the sort of sequence that makes scorekeepers double‑check their pencils: 9, 3, 8, 3. A start that would test the Hippocratic oath, never mind one’s patience. To his credit he kept going, long after many would have been pricing new wedges online.

Ken Marshall, the club’s ironman, had his own saga at the 7th. After flying his third just over the back into the rough, he reached for the putter from cabbage country. Two under-hit efforts later, the ball finally clambered onto the green at the third attempt and Ken coolly tidied up for an 8. His post‑shot review was pure Marshall: “I didn’t hit it hard enough twice, but the line was good.” Only Ken could find the silver lining and the correct read in the same breath. Still, across 36 holes he posted a stout 155 (79 + 76) – precisely the sort of two‑round stamina that reminds everyone why 36 in a day is “just a stretch of the legs” for him.

There were bright spots all over the board. Andy Barton’s tidy 148 (71 + 77) was the model of diligent, keep-it-in-front-of-you golf. Recent Summer Meeting winners Mark Higham (155) and Kevin Beattie (167) fought the breeze with varying success; each had flashes that hinted at more on a calmer day. Eric Lambert’s two‑round 155 was a tale of two winds: bludgeoned early, buoyant late.

But this was Crockart’s day. He danced with the elements, argued with the rough, baptized a golf ball on 14, and still signed for the winning total. The silver rose bowl goes to a man who proved, in meteorological mayhem, that resilience travels further than any drive downwind.

Winner: Rob Crockart, 146.

Runners‑up (one shot back): Andrew McGill, Billy McNeill, David Mitchell on 147.

If the forecast insists on more “character-building” weather next year, bring your lowest flight, your hottest putter, and—most importantly—a spare ball for the 14th.

Today’s winner!

The young whippersnapper launching his tee shot to the 2nd, before his 4 putt!

The ominous black clouds rolled in as Ken Marshall launched his drive on the 6th.

There was a gravitational anomaly on the 10th caused by Messers Fletcher and Craig’s ball markers!

After a disastrous 8 on the 17th, Kevin Beattie poses nonchalantly after his drive on 18…..

….and then having to hit a provisional, as he finished his round as he started, with a 7.

I’m so glad that I was able to join you all in the afternoon. Well done to Rob on a fine performance.
Taz