Photograph courtesy of the Scottish Golf Union)
Ayrshire were today (Sunday 5 October) crowned 2008 Scottish Area Team Champions after beating three times past Champions Renfrewshire 5-4 in a closely fought Final.
The Ayrshire team, whose last and only victory in the Championship came in 1986 at Murcar Links, went into lunch after the morning foursomes 2-1 ahead.
This point advantage proved pivotal as the singles games were nip and tuck all afternoon eventually finishing 3-3, but good enough to secure the Ayrshiremen the trophy for the first time in 22 years.
Similar to the Semi-Finals it came down to the last remaining game on the course to decide the outcome of the match. One up with one to play it was Loudon Gowf’s Tommy McInally who had the honour of sinking the winning putt after halving the 18th, holing from 8ft on the final green. This came after the Ayrshire hero had earlier in his round recorded a rare albatross at the Par 5 13th hole, holing his second shot with a 4 iron.
Ayrshire Team Captain Ronnie Potts confessed to being “over the moon” at his teams’s triumph – “We’ve had an excellent weekend, each player supported one another and they really gelled well as a unit. ”
“The course was in superb condition and the greens were probably the best the players have putted on all year. The welcome from everyone at Tain Golf Club was wonderful.”
“This rounds off a fantastic year for Ayrshire golf with Caprington’s Steven McEwan finishing top of the SGU Mens Order of Merit and fellow Scottish Internationalist, Michael Stewart winning the Boys equivalent.”
As the teams set out for their journey south Ayrshire’s Thomas McInally and John Cairney would be hoping to complete the 450 mile round road trip without a detour on the Cromarty/Nigg ferry, which to their Team Captains bemusement, they experienced on the drive North!
AND ANOTHER REPORT
courtesy of www.scottishgolfview.com
By ROBIN WILSON
Ayrshire won the Scottish Golf Union's area team championship final at Tain Golf Club today.
Once again - as it was in both the Saturday semi-finals - it was a 5-4 result with Renfrewshire the beaten finalists.
Ayrshire last won the title in 1986 when the semi-finals and final were played at Murcar Links. There must be something about the air north of Perth that brings the best of of the Men from Ayrshire.
It took a birdie on the last green by Ayrshire third pair, Brian Moore and John Shanks to give their team a 2-1 lunchtime lead. As in both the semi-finals, a foursomes lead was decisive in the final analysis.
Ayrshire will want to take Tain's par-5 13th hole home with them. John Cairney, an eagle 3, and and Tommy McInally, an albatross 2 (with a four iron), both won this hole on their way to individual wins that in the final reckoning took the trophy to Ayrshire.
Cairmey won his game 2 and 1 against Matthew Clark to level up the singles scores at 2-2, Ayrshire's Steven McEwan having beaten Gordon Stevenson 3 and 2 in the top singles and David Miller and Craig Watson have countered for Renfrewshire by beating George Robetson (2 and 1) and John Shanks (4 and 3) respectively.
With Renfrewshire's Ronnie Clark putting his side ahead 3-2 in the singles with a 5 and 3 win over Brian Moore, the overall score was tied up at 4-4, everything hinged on the outcome of the McInally v Mudro Carmichael tie.
After winning the 13th with his albatross, McInally lost the 14th to Carmichael's par 4 to go back to only one ahead. Carmichael then put a ball into the river from the tee at the 16th to go dormie two down but won back the 17th with a par 3.
Going to the wire at the final hole still one up Mcinally holed a winning 5ft putt to which gave Ayrshire their 5-4 victory.
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