Guilford College's Peter Latimer Wins Carnegie Shield Golf Tourney

Greensboro, N.C. (8/14/07) -- Guilford College rising sophomore Peter Latimer won the prestigious Royal Dornoch Golf Carnegie Shield Tournament Aug. 11 in his native Scotland. He defeated defending champion Jimmy Gunn, the 2007 club champion at Royal Dornoch, 2 and 1. Latimer held a two-hole lead after nine holes, but Gunn, the local favorite, tied the match after 12 holes. Latimer went ahead for good with a birdie on 15 and captured the famous shield on the 17th hole. He played 35 holes in Saturday’s semifinal and final rounds seven under par.

 

One of Scotland’s largest and most popular tournaments, the Carnegie Shield is named for the winning trophy, a large, ornate silver shield engraved with local landmarks (see photo below). Multimillionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who had a holiday home near Dornoch, presented the shield to the golf club in 1901.

Playing for the St. Andrews New Club, Latimer qualified for match play after 36 holes of stroke play. He defeated Derek Higgins, 5 and 3, in the first round and Adrian Easterbrook in the second round by the same score, setting up a third-round match with Ian Rennie, the leading qualifier after stroke play. Latimer advanced with a 6 and 5 quarterfinal victory.

In the semifinals, Latimer faced Andrew Biggadike '02, a three-time Guilford All-American and the Carnegie Shield champion in 2002 and 2005. It was Biggadike who beat Latimer in the 2005 quarterfinals and recommended him to Guilford head golf coach Jack Jensen. Latimer trailed Biggadike by three after 12 holes, but birdies on the 13th, 14th, 17th and 18th holes pulled out a one-hole victory.

The Royal Dornoch Club was formed in 1877 and ranks among the world’s finest courses. Old Tom Morris designed the links layout, which sits along the North Sea in the Scottish Highlands. Legendary golf course designer Donald Ross got his start as a professional and superintendent at the club.

Latimer, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Rookie of the Year, averaged 75.62 strokes per round in his first season at Guilford. He ranked third on the team in stroke average and won his first college medalist honor at the Emory Spring Invitational April 9 (72-73-145). A First Team All-ODAC honoree, Latimer twice won the league’s Golfer of the Week Award and placed seventh at the ODAC Championships. He helped Jensen’s Quakers place seventh at the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships and is one of seven letter winners due back this fall.