BRILLIANT SCORE OF 62 AT HAZLEHEAD

MITCHELL SETS COURSE RECORD BUT
BYRNE WINS NE DISTRICT BOYS' TITLE


FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON

North of Scotland boys' golf champion Graeme Mitchell (Northern) slashed two shots off the Hazlehead No 1 course record on Thursday) - but still did not win the North-east District boys' stroke-play championship!
Mitchell shot a brilliant round of eight-under-par 62 to lead by five shots but his second-round 70 for a total of 132 allowed him to be caught by the new North-east youths champion, James Byrne (Banchory).
James has scores of 67 and 64 for nine-under-par 131 to lift the first part of the North-east District boys' double-header at Hazlehead. 
Mitchell faced a 15ft putt on the final green. If he holed it, he would have tied with Byrne and they would have gone into a play-off. But Graeme missed it.
His figures for his round of 62, which was two shots inside the old mark held by Kevin Duthie, Mark Halliday and Shaun Webster, included birdies at the first, third, fifth, sixth, seven and eighth in an outward 28 followed by birdies at the 11th, 15th and 16th in 34 home.
Astonishing in such a low round, that Graeme had one bogey - a 5 at the 13th.
Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) with scores of 67 and 68 for 135 finished third overall but won the NE District Under-16 championship.
Lewis Kirton (Newmachar), bound for the University of Kentucky on a four-year golf scholarship next month, was fourth on 137 (67-70) and he completes the quartet which will contest the North-east District boys' match-play title over the Hazlehead No 1 course on Friday.
James Byrne will play Scotland boys international team-mate Lewis Kirton in the first semi-final, tee-ing off at 9.30am.
Graeme Mitchell, junior will play Adam Dunton at 9.40.
The winners will meet in the final which will tee off at 2pm.

LEADING TOTALS

131 J Byrne (Banchory) 67 64.
132 G Mitchell jun (Northern) 62 70.
135 A Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 67 68.
137 L Kirton (Newmachar) 67 70.
138 K Duncan (McDonald Ellon) 69 69.
142 C Baron (Oldmeldrum) 72 70.
145 D Macandrew (Hazlehead) 70 75, J Duff (Newmachar) 69 76.
147 C Irvine (Stonehaven) 77 70, S Fraser (Northern) 70 77.
148 K Shearer (Murcar Links) 75 73.
149 T Spencer (Inchmarlo) 80 69, D Miller (Newmachar) 73 69.
150 N Macandrew (Cullen) 72 78.