GOLF: BEVAN BUSTS A GUST TO WIN.
Byline: DALE RANKINJON BEVAN of Birmingham became only the second English winner of the Sunderland of Scotland Masters in the 16-year history of the event at Irvine.
Bevan was handed the trophy after the last of the scheduled four rounds was abandoned.
Colin Gillies from Braid Hills finished second, four shots behind the start-to-finish leader.
For the second year in a row, the pounds 25,000 tournament had to be cut to 54 holes. Last year it was due to prolonged rain. This time, winds gusting over 40mph were blowing the balls all over the greens.
After a 45-minute suspension of the fourth round with the players called back to the clubhouse, play was abandoned with prize money to be distributed on the basis of the completed 54-hole totals.
Bevan and his only serious challenger, Gillies, made it as far as the first tee for the second time on the final day when play was halted.
The third round, played in deteriorating conditions of wind and rain, had seen the overnight status quo - Bevan four strokes ahead - maintained with both players returning their worst scores of the tournament, one-over-par 72s.
A philosophical Gillies said: "It would have been nice to play the 72 holes but, in all honesty, I cannot say I would have made up four shots on the final round.
"The big consolation is I think finishing second clinches the Tartan Tour Order of Merit title."
Craig Lee (Brucefields) made a forward move to grab third place with a third-round 68 for 208.
East Renfrewshire's David Orr finished top Scot in the East Dorset Players' Championship - 11 shots behind Neil Turley of Redditch - after firing rounds of 72 and 71 for level-par 288.
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| Title Annotation: | Sport |
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| Publication: | Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Date: | Sep 8, 2001 |
| Words: | 286 |
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