Gray pockets £5,500 with Skibo win

Hayston's Stephen Gray maintained his four-stroke overnight lead over Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) to win the bumper first prize of £5,500 in the 36-hole Carnegie Invitational at Skibo Castle, near Dornoch.

A repeat of his opening-day record eight-under-par 63 was never really on for Gray on a more difficult day for scoring and his 72 for a seven-under total of 135 included a triple bogey seven at the 16th.

By that time the challenge of Hutcheon had faded after starting with birdies at the second, third and eighth. Bogeys at the 10th, 13th, 15th and 16th left him with the handsome runner-up prize of £4,000.

Scott Henderson's second-round 70 was the only sub-par score of the second day and it enabled the Kings Links man to tie for third place with Carluke's Craig Ronald (70-72). They both earned £3,250.

Gray scored a double whammy by leading "The Jube Jubes" amateur trio of Greg Fairburn (9), Alan Grant (6) and William Florence (18) to victory by eight shots in the pro-am team event with a total of 249.

Greig Hutcheon and the Rosskeen Rascals were second on 257 and Graham Fox and The Maestroes were third on 260. The three pros each earned an additional £500.