THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - McDonald marches on into semi finals

Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) won through to the semi finals of the 2012 Amateur Championship at Royal Troon on Friday morning after a victory at the first extra hole in his quarter final tie.

Two ahead early on in his match against England's Toby Tree (Worthing), McDonald was pegged back and by the sixteenth hole the match was all square.

Both players found the green at the sixteenth in three shots with McDonald the closest with his approach which finished about 10 feed from the hole.

Tree's putt for four just missed the hole and McDonald confidently holed his effort to restore a one hole lead.

At the seventeenth, similar to his match in the previous round, McDonald made a good recovery from off the left of the green for a par three which was matched by Tree and the game proceeded to the eighteenth with McDonald one ahead.

After both players found the fairway from the tee, McDonald played a fine approach shot in to fifteen feet to set up a birdie opportunity.

Playing a great shot under pressure, Tree's approach came to rest within two feet of the hole, prompting a conceded birdie three.

Despite a good putt, McDonald saw his birdie effort agonisingly hit the back of the hole and spin out and the match ended all square after the regulation 18 holes.

At the first extra hole, both players safely found the fairway from the tee but whist Tree's approach found the green some distance from the hole, McDonald played one of the shots of the day, his shot coming to rest under two feet from the cup.

Tree made a good effort with his putt for a birdie three but when the ball rolled past the hole he conceded McDonald's putt and the Kilmarnock Barassie player was in the semi final.

In the semi final on Friday afternoon, Jack McDonald faces Matthias Schwab (Austria).

The other scot in the quarter finals, 2007 Scottish Boys Champion Paul Ferrier (Baberton) won his morning match against Matthew Steiger (Australia) to claim a semi final place. In the semi finals, Ferrier will play Irishman Alan Dunbar (Rathmore).