Result - Medal Final. King’s. White Tees. Sat 25th Oct.
Scratch winner - Alistair Cantlay.
There are hardy souls, and then there are Dun Whinny souls. Thirty-one of them marched onto a dry, crisp, and decidedly breezy King’s Course today for the Medal Finals—faces steeled, hands toasty, and wardrobes layered like Viennese pastries. A North-Westerly breeze did its level best to turn 7-irons into rescue clubs and smugness into shivers. Multiple layers and hand warmers were very much the fashion; by the turn, several gloves had been promoted to “emotional support accessories.”
Scratch Medal
The Scratch field might have been slender—three players from the possible nine—but the quality was indisputable. Young Alistair Cantlay produced a stone-cold stunner: a 69 that was the only sub-70 round of the day. It came courtesy of a tidy 35 out and 34 back, which, in that wind, is the golfing equivalent of baking a soufflé on a speedboat. On the day, his nearest chaser, the ever-game Tony Moran, was a mere nine shots back—roughly the distance a North-Westerly was moving a well-struck wedge. Congratulations to Alistair on an exceptional round and a season that will be talked about in clubhouse corners for years to come.
Handicap Medal
The Handicap prize drew a bustling field of 16, with the early clubhouse standard set by Mr. Eric Lambert on a net 68—straight out the traps and, frankly, refusing to look back. The chasing pack did what they could. Bill “3balls” McNeill—seen frequently rehearsing the lost ball protocol but somehow still scribbling pars—looked primed to chase down Mr Lambert until the last hole bit back. A 10 on the final green turned his card into a postmodern art piece: brave, emotive, but tough to score.
Mr. Mark Higham—capably in the hunt for both Scratch and Handicap—got within five, while Mr. David McLeod mounted a proper charge, eventually missing out by two. In the anchor group, Mr. Bill Sexton posted a tidy net 72, but Mr. Lambert’s early salvo stood tall. Sadly, due to an early departure and alleged image rights (or possibly a strategic flit to the bar), your correspondent was forced to use a library photo of Mr. Eric Lambert. Any resemblance to Emiliano Zapata is purely coincidental, and frankly, if Eric turns up at the next medal with a magnificent moustache and a sombrero, we’ll backdate the caption.
Order of Merit
A hearty salute to Mr. Mark Higham for a season of relentless consistency and rightful triumph in the 2025 Order of Merit. Congratulations, Mark—metronomic golf, titanium temperament, and a diary that clearly never clashes with the weather forecast.
Final Call – Dun Whinny Gala Ball
Right then, party people of the parish: the Dun Whinny Gala Ball is next weekend, and your club needs you—sequins, bow ties, dancing shoes, and all. This is the big one: the Gleneagles Ballroom, a champagne reception in the Glendevon Room, dinner that doesn’t come in a paper cup, and a short Annual Prizegiving that’s long on pride, applause, and questionable dance-floor diplomacy afterward.
If you’re still on the fence, consider this your friendly shove. It’s the celebration our season deserves: toast the winners, relive the near-misses, and witness the retelling of “that time I hit a 3-wood under the wind” grow by at least 20% over dessert. Tomorrow is the final day for entries—no ifs, no putts, no maybes.
Book now: contact our esteemed Vice Captain at mike@dunwhinny.com
Include dietary requirements (yes, we can do “no greens,” but it may attract comment)
Bring partners, bring pals, bring your best post-round anecdotes—just bring yourself
Let’s fill the ballroom, raise a glass to 2025, and dance like we’ve all just holed a 25-footer on the last. See you there.
Taz
Handicap winner - Eric Lambert
Always on time, past Captain Mike Collier launches one down the first.
Join us in the ballroom for the Gala Ball!