Result - Summer Meeting. King’s. White tees. Saturday August 1st.
Summer Meeting – The King's Bites Back
Trading Standards may wish to investigate the bold claim that this was a Summer Meeting. With a brisk wind cutting across the King's and temperatures that suggested autumn had arrived several weeks ahead of schedule, the only thing summery about Saturday was the date on the scorecard. Thankfully, the rain held off for the duration of the morning, which in Scottish golfing terms counts as a resounding meteorological victory.
After watching the Seniors professionals strut their stuff on the King's last week — led by Cameron Percy's stunning 63 — it was time for the fine and mighty of Dun Whinny to remind the course exactly who its real owners are. The King's, freshly returned from its professional obligations, showed its appreciation in the usual fashion: with narrow fairways, testing pin positions and a wind that made club selection feel like a philosophical exercise.
The Remarkable Mr Reid
Before we get to the prize winners, we must pause to acknowledge something quite extraordinary. Matthew Reid, Dun Whinny's newly crowned New Member, avid Dundee FC supporter and self-confessed newcomer to the game, stepped onto the King's from the white tees for his first competitive outing and proceeded to card a quite remarkable gross 73.
Let that sink in for a moment.
A man who has been spotted wandering the Academy with the wide-eyed curiosity of someone who recently discovered that golf involves more than one club, went around the King's from the whites in 73. For context, that is better than every single Dun Whinny member in the field. The aspiration to be as good as AJ may have been set rather too modestly.
Alas, being a professional, Matthew does not qualify for the medal. But the performance deserves every round of applause the clubhouse can muster. Another potential bandit in the making? On this evidence, the handicap committee may wish to keep a very close eye on Mr Reid.
Gross Medal – McColgan Claims the Honours
With Matthew Reid hors de combat for prize purposes, the Gross Medal falls to David McColgan, whose excellent 77 was the best qualifying score of the day. Playing off a plus handicap of 0.5, David's round was a composed and controlled performance in testing conditions. Congratulations to David on a thoroughly deserved victory.
Ken Marshall was close behind with a fine 78, continuing his excellent season and demonstrating once again that he is one of the club's most reliable performers from the white tees. Rob Crockart returned an 80 to take third in the gross standings — a solid effort that, as we shall see, was even more impressive when the handicap strokes were applied.
Jon Cooper finished fifth gross with an 85, which, given the circumstances of his morning, was a commendable recovery. More on that shortly.
Net Medal – Crockart's Stunning 66
If the gross medal belonged to McColgan, the net honours were emphatically claimed by Rob Crockart, whose extraordinary net 66 was the score of the day by some distance. A gross 80 off a playing handicap of 14 produced a net card that left the rest of the field staring at the leaderboard in mild disbelief. Crockart has been one of the most consistent performers of the entire season, and this was arguably his finest individual result. Hearty congratulations to Rob on a superb round.
Ken Marshall was the closest challenger with a fine net 68, continuing what has been a magnificent season. Marshall has been threatening to win a major club event for several weeks now, and while second place is not the victory his form deserves, another top-two finish underlines his quality.
Jonathan Fletcher produced perhaps the surprise of the day with an excellent net 72 to claim third place, playing off a generous handicap of 29. Fletcher has been quietly improving throughout the season and this result suggests he is very much one to watch.
Billy Z McNeill continued his remarkable consistency with a net 73, while our New Member Mr Reid's net 74 — off a plus handicap of 1, meaning he received no shots whatsoever — is worth pausing to appreciate all over again.
A Correspondent's Confession
Your correspondent must now address the events of his own round, which began with such extraordinary promise that it briefly threatened to rewrite the entire narrative of the day.
A solid par on the 1st was followed by a birdie on the 2nd — a combination so unexpected that playing partner Jon Cooper reportedly stopped mid-stride and exclaimed, with considerable feeling, "Holy sh*t, Taz!" It was, by any measure, a generous compliment.
Sadly, the shock of this correspondent's early brilliance appears to have had a catastrophic effect on Mr Cooper's own game. Jon proceeded to lose three golf balls en route to an 85, and one can only apologise unreservedly for the psychological damage inflicted by that early birdie. It was entirely unintentional.
As for this correspondent, the birdie on the 2nd proved to be the summit of a very brief mountain. What followed was a spectacular descent involving 7s, 9s and a truly magnificent 10 on the 12th, before the round was mercifully concluded with a non-return on the 17th after two further balls were donated to the King's rough.
It is worth noting, however — and this correspondent wishes it placed firmly on the record — that he outdrove David McColgan on both the 1st and the 18th holes. The gross medal winner. Outdriven. Twice. The scorecard may tell one story, but the driving statistics tell quite another.
The Curious Case of the 1st Hole
The King's 1st proved to be a particularly unforgiving opening act for several members of the field. Allister Wallace and Dr Tom MacKenzie both carded 11s on the opening hole — a statistic that deserves careful examination.
Dr MacKenzie's 11 was, in particular, a masterclass in the cruel geometry of the 1st green. His approach shot landed on the putting surface with admirable precision, before trickling back into the front bunker. His bunker shot, displaying rather more ambition than accuracy, cleared the green entirely and entered what can only be described as the Calcavecchia Zone — that mysterious territory beyond the flag where golf balls go to contemplate their life choices. The next shot returned to the green, only to roll off into the greenside bunker. From there, the good Doctor could only play out towards the TV tower. His chip once again found the green — and once again found the same bunker. Having finally escaped onto the putting surface, Dr MacKenzie then demonstrated that the ordeal had not diminished his putting ambitions, three-putting for a thoroughly hard-earned 11.
It was, in its own extraordinary way, a performance of remarkable persistence. Lesser men would have picked up after the third bunker visit.
Nearly an Ace — But Did He Get the Birdie?
In the clubhouse afterwards, David McLeod was understandably animated, keen to share with anyone within earshot that he had come agonisingly close to a hole-in-one on the 16th. The ball, by all accounts, missed by the narrowest of margins.
His fellow members, displaying the warmth and sensitivity for which golfers are universally renowned, were considerably less interested in the near-ace than in the rather more pressing question: did he get the birdie? Mr McLeod's expression suggested this was not the response he had been hoping for.
A Word on the Whites
Finally, we understand that our esteemed actuary Mr Eric Lambert may once again have views to share regarding the merits of competing from the white tees on the King's Course. Mr Lambert is, of course, entitled to his opinion. It is worth noting, however, that of all the competitions on the Dun Whinny calendar, only seven are played from the whites. Seven. Out of an entire season.
We also note, with no particular agenda, that Mr Lambert's card featured a 10 on the 6th hole. Whether this influenced his views on the white tees is a matter we leave entirely to the reader's imagination.
Results Summary
Gross Medal
Matthew Reid — 73 (non-qualifying)
David McColgan — 77(Gross Medal Winner)
Ken Marshall — 78
Rob Crockart — 80
Jon Cooper — 85
Net Medal
Rob Crockart — 66(Net Medal Winner)
Ken Marshall — 68
Jonathan Fletcher — 72
Billy Z McNeill — 73
Matthew Reid — 74
Congratulations once again to David McColgan and Rob Crockart on their respective medals, and to Matthew Reid for a debut that will be talked about for some time.
Next Saturday sees the Gordon Lockhart Trophy, played over both the King's and Queen's courses. Entry is via the app as usual. After today's performance from the King's, the Queen's may come as something of a relief.
Taz
