MILLIONAIRE Peter de Savary has made an undisclosed out-of-court settlement to a man who was sacked after helping build his world- class golf course at Skibo Castle in the Highlands.

An industrial tribunal was due to go ahead yesterday at Inverness involving the luxury country club owner and former greenkeeper Leslie MacKay, 29, who was claiming compensation for alleged unfair dismissal through unfair selection for redundancy.

The tribunal was cancelled after a cash settlement was reached between Mr de Savary and the father of three who lives with his wife, Anne, also a former Skibo Castle employee, at Camore Crescent, in Dornoch.

Mr MacKay who now runs a local restaurant, said: ''I would like to speak but I am afraid I am gagged by the terms of the settlement.''

However, his wife's brother, Mr Derek MacLennan, 32, who was paid off from Skibo at the same time last October, said at his Dornoch home yesterday: ''We were both greenkeepers and helped build the course. Leslie was particularly well qualified. He had a good case and would probably have won it.''