Drambuie Highland Golf Classic 2004

The fourth Drambuie Highland Golf Classic teed off at Brora and what a start to the week. Highland Cathedral drifted across the course courtesy of Brora greenkeeper and bag piper, Neil, was ably supported by the gently lapping of waves and an ever present sun!

The drive north for the majority of the golfers was from Brora and driving through Golspie and past Dunrobin you can't help but remember you're in the Northern Highlands of Scotland.

Brora is one of the classic links courses of Scotland and it has long attracted country and overseas members, amongst one of the club's major supporters is former European Order of merit winner, Ronan Rafferty. Ronan rates this course as one of his favourite Links and as an aficionado of seaside golf this recommendation should not be underrated.

So to Brora they came. And from Brora they left happy. Swedes, Germans, Belgians, Swiss, Dutch, Americans as well as the Brits made the Highland Classic almost as cosmopolitan as the Ayrshire last week. The growing strength of the series of Drambuie Classics is indeed the diversity of the golfers and how the event becomes so sociable so quickly.

Conditions were set fair for scoring but with the course so well on for early season the fast pace of the greens seemed to catch out many of the players. There was only one player beat par points and that was Graham Halliday (pictured) from Monktonhall near Edinburgh and for the first time in 2004 a Scot leads the field! He's followed closely by Sandor Szabados from Golf and Country Club de Bossey in Switzerland; the next three places are filled by a Dutchman (Jonne van Der Drift), a German (Thomas Sprater) and an American (Tony Hurst).

Longest drive as has become par for the course over the past two events was another European, with Thomas Sprater launching a huge drive down the middle of the tenth fairway; Ladies longest was struck by Alison Bartlett from Royal Mid Surrey and the Drambuie Nearest the Pin was claimed by Mark Stevenson from East Sussex National.

The Drambuie Par Three's is running this week - best stableford points on the Drambuie shorts! - is being lead by Sandor Szabados with an excellent 13 points on the four par threes at Brora, fairly difficult to beat a man with a stroke on all the threes who then shoots three pars and a birdie two!

Day 2 Goslpie
One of the unsung layouts in this particular part of Scotland, designed by the legendary James Braid it was founded in 1889 and offers a challenge, together with a warm welcome, to all levels of golfer. The mixture of links, heath and parkland combined with the ever-changing views from the course offers a unique golfing experience.

Anyone who played in the 2003 event will also have memories of some very late hailstones and wind! But this was 2004 and in 2004 it doesn't rain, well not much anyway.

In much the same way as Ayrshire the previous week the scoring was lead once again by the overnight leader Graham halliday who carded another 37 to add to his first day one. He was however beaten in countback for the best 18 hole by Tony Bartlett from Mid Surrey golf club who also matched his total but with a better back nine.

Three 36's made up the par or better rounds from Ellen Kroon (Netherlands), Tony Hurst from the States and big Peter White from Fraserburgh on Scotland's north east coast.

Nearest the pin at the sixteenth was scooped by Dan Byers from the US whilst the Europeans again took the long drive honours with Thomas Bartholdi from Switzerland and Martine Valcke from Belgium.

Day 3 Tain & Dornoch
The field split on Wednesday and Thursday between Tain and Dornoch but again it didn't impact on the weather with short sleeves the order for both courses.
Tain hosted the first Highland Golf Classic in 2001 and it was a welcome return to this wonderfully scenic golf course. Tain is probably more famous as the home of Glenmorangie and it was clear from some on the tee that they'd found the wonderful product the night before. But on with the golf.

The best recorded on Tain were three 35's, Tim James, Anne Buckley and Bill Elston whilst Alsion Bartlett produced a superb 36 from the ladies tees at Dornoch one ahead of German Stefan Huebner.

The leader Graham Halliday cemented his position with a more than competent 32 points to keep a three point buffer between himself and Tony Hurst.

Longest drive was at Tain and Martine Valcke secured her second in two days whilst Peter White finally got one on line! Nearest the pin at the sixth on Dornoch was Denny Doud.

Final Day
The final day was played pretty much in leaderboard order with the leading fourballs on both courses out last. Scoring on the final day was up considerably on day three with two 37's at Royal Dornoch - Bill Elston and Kit Newman - and two excellent 39s from Marc Schmitt and surprise surprise the leader himself Graham Halliday.

Graham's final round 39 gave him a total of 145 points, the second best total scored in four years of Classics.

Longest drive at Tain was Jerry Newlove and Ellen Kroon for the ladies.
So the leaderboard finished with the following top ten:

The international field ensured a multi national leaderboard; Scots winner, American runner up, English 3rd and 4th with a couple of Germans and an Irishmen filling the other positions. Ladies performed exceptionally well filling three of the top ten places.

The pairs was one for the first time by a husband and wife partnership - Alison and Tony Bartlett - with 268 points and an impressive 11 point lead. Runners up were Mark Schmitt and Gunter Martin from German.

The Drambuie Par Threes was actually rather impressively won by Graham Halliday and then followed by Marc Schmitt but in the spirit of sharing the prizes went to third placed Thilo Meyer Kurtz.

Prizegiving Dinner
So it was all over bar the shouting! The dinner was held once hosted by Brora Golf Club with catering provided by Robert and his excellent staff from the adjacent Royal Marine Hotel. Prizes duly handed out, photographs taken and friendhsips cemented to the tune of Brogan, a local Celtic/Rock/ Ceilidh band who had the golfers boogying into the early hours.

So that was that for another year and the word all round that it was a wonderful week of golf and Highland Hospitlity helpd by some superb Scottish weather. Next year, well hopefully the same four course, same time and from all involved in the Classics it's a simple...

Haste ye back!

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Highland	Classics
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