Gray day at Spey

In the final analysis it was Stephen Gray's hole in one at the 202-yard 16th in the first round that won him the Spey Valley 36-hole Challenge at the Aviemore course.

The Hayston man added a four-under 68 to his opening 73 and a three-under 141 aggregate earned him the £1,750 first prize by a single shot from joint runners-up Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) (73-69) and Greg McBain (Gamola Golf) (73-69), both picking up £1,125 for their two days' work.

Gray eagled the long third and birdied two other par-5s, the fifth and 13th. His other birdie came at the par-4 ninth in an outward 33.

And so the Hutcheon-Hayston rivalry for the top spots on the Tartan Tour money table and Order of Merit is set to continue in the new season.

Hutcheon was level par for the final day with five to play but moved up a gear when he had to with birdies at the 14th, short 16th and 17th for 33 home.

Aberdeen-based McBain was five under par for the first seven holes in his second round with a birdie at the first, and eagle 3 at the third, a birdie 2 at the fourth and a birdie 3 at the seventh.

Out in 32, with a bogey at the eighth, McBain was ahead of Gray and Hutcheon at that point and favourite to stay there but he let the chance slip away with a bogey at the 11th and seven straight pars to finish