Scottish Boys

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

WEST KILBRIDE SET FOR SCOTTISH
BOYS' CHAMPIONSHIP
NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION

The scenic setting of West Kilbride on the Ayrshire coast will be the stage as the Scottish Boys Championship gets the domestic golfing season gets underway in earnest next week (5 – 10 April).

Scotland’s leading 256 junior golfers will battle it out for the prestigious title, won last year by Aberdonian David Law who went on to make history as the first golfer to win the Scottish Boys Championship and Allied Surveyors Scottish Amateur Championship in the same year.

There are high hopes of an Ayrshire winner on home soil, with Kilmarnock Barassie’s Jack McDonald among the favourites to lift the trophy. The 17-year-old is the reigning Scottish Boys Stroke Play Champion and will be looking to emulate Scott Henry (2004-05), Steven Young (1994-95) and John Huggan (1977-78) all of whom achieved the Boys’ Stroke Play and Match Play double.

Another Ayrshire club, Troon Welbeck – home of 2008 winner Michael Stewart - will also harbour ambitions of glory, with no fewer than eight representatives in the field, more than any other club while Glasgow club Williamwood and Craigielaw in East Lothian are the next highest ranked with five junior members apiece. A total of 141 clubs are represented.

( Gullane has 5 members in the field albeit some currently have their home clubs elsewhere ) 

Deeside’s Jack Scott will go into the Championship full of confidence after his win in the opening SGU Junior Tour event of the season, as will young Borderer Simon Fairbairn (Torwoodlee) following his recent victory in the Scottish Junior Champion of Champions at The Duke’s, St Andrews.

Pollok player Conor O’Neil, a member of the Scottish Golf Academy (West), is the lowest handicap player in the field at +1.9 and will rate his chances of victory in the opening ‘Major’ of the season, while Craigielaw’s Grant Forrest – winner of the firstpointusa.com Scottish Boys U16s Championship last year – and Scott Gibson (Southerness), fresh from playing for Scotland’s Men’s team in South Africa, will be among the other players to look out for.

West Kilbride celebrates its tenth hosting of the Championship and SGU Championship Manager Euan Mordaunt is relishing a return to the picturesque venue:

“There’s always a great buzz leading up to the first major event of the domestic season and after a long hard winter I think there’s even more anticipation this year. West Kilbride is a fantastic venue with stunning views across to Arran and a warm welcome for everyone who visits the club.”

“This year’s Championship will be hotly contested with some great talent emerging through our junior ranks and several national champions at age group level in a very strong field. The course will be a testing but fair challenge and I’m sure we’ll have a very worthy champion come next Saturday.”

The handicap ballot fell at 5.4 with 32 players on the reserve list. A results service will be available onwww.scottishgolf.org with live scoring during the latter stages of the Championship. The first match gets underway at 6.45am on Monday 5 April with the 36-hole final commencing at 8.30am on Saturday 10 April.

Click here for the draw.