Lothians golf round-up: Turnhouse champ battled cancer / Lothians win again / Kenny Glen top of Merit

Ross Armstrong is the toast of Turnhouse after overcoming cancer to win the club’s handicap championship.
Ross Armstrong won the handicap championship at TurnhouseRoss Armstrong won the handicap championship at Turnhouse
Ross Armstrong won the handicap championship at Turnhouse

“I still can’t quite believe it,” said Armstrong of his title triumph. “When I was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, I could never envisage that five years later I’d win a club championship.

“After my stem cell transplant, I couldn’t walk without a Zimmer frame and playing golf was only a dream.

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“However, with the help of family and friends, I started on the long road back to some form of fitness, culminating in what happened last week.

Some of the Gullane club champions show off their trophiesSome of the Gullane club champions show off their trophies
Some of the Gullane club champions show off their trophies

“I played seven rounds in eight days and I hope it gives other people with cancer the belief that you can overcome adversity and continue to enjoy life to the full.”

• Harburn’s Jennifer Bryans wins selection

Harburn’s Jennifer Bryans, a semi-finalist in the recent Scottish Senior Women’s Open at Edzell, is in the Midlothian team for the East Inter-County event.

Joining her at Ladybank will be Baberton trio Karen Marshall, Rachael Livingstone and Wendy Nicholson.

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Also in the side for the July 1-3 event are Alison McBride (Dalmahoy), Hannah Darling, (Broomieknowe), Karen Ferguson-Snedden (Mortonhall) and Louise Fraser (Kingsknowe).

Lothians success

Lothians backed up a welcome win over Northumberland earlier in the year by beating Renfrewshire in an inaugural match between the teams at Murrayfield.

The morning foursomes were shared 2-2 before the hosts enjoyed the upper hand in the singles to emerge with a 7.5-4.5 victory. Playing on his home course, Andew Ni lost to Stewart Watt in the top match but Lothians hit back by winning the next four matches.

One of those success came from Stuart McLaren, who reeled off four 2s in the space of seven from the par-3 seventh.

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Next up on the team front for Lothians is a match against Fife at Newbattle on July 28.

• Kenny Glen on top

Craigielaw’s Kenny Glen is the new leader in the Lothians Order of Merit sponsored by Bluefin Sport.

He jumped ahead of early pacesetter Gareth Pugh (Tantallon) after finishing joint-third in the Silverknowes Open to sit on 331 points.

That was won by Kingsfield’s Allyn Dick with a 137 total, two shots better than Stuart McLaren (Bruntsfield Links).

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The next counting event is the Turnhouse Open at the end of the month.

• Gullane champs leave it late

Brian O’Connor and Sue Penman took pride of place as five of the eight finals in Gullane’s championship week either went up the last or into extra holes.

O’Connor, the club’s junior convenor, was crowned men’s champion for the first time after beating Kenny Wright 4&3 in a match that had been all square at the halfway stage. And, 12 months after losing in the final, Penman capped off a stunning comeback from three down with four to play against Lindsey Garden to birdie the 19th and claim her second ladies’ crown in style.

Other winners included Murray Cooper and Abbie Nisbet, who lifted the boys’ junior and girls’ titles respectively.

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