The final was between two Royal Troon members, with Blair's good friend Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle), the beaten finalist, also being a member of the host club.
The opening three holes were halved in par fours, with the fourth being halved in birdie fours, before Blair took the lead with a par three at the fifth hole, after keith's tee shot went through the green and he was unable to get up and down.
Keith immediately hit back, taking the par five sixth to level the match, reaching the green in two whilst Blair found trouble in the rough.
At the par three eighth, The Postage Stamp, Keith's tee shot found The Coffin Bunker, from which he was unable to get up and down, and Blair restored his advantage with a winning par three.
Blair extended his lead to two holes at the turn, taking the ninth after Keith lost his tee shot and was forced to play three off the tee.
Par's at the tenth and eleventh saw no change in the match score, with Blair retaining his two hole lead going to the twelfth.
The twelfth hole ultimately proved to be a crucial point in the match. After Blair lost his tee shot and was three off the tee, Keith found a bunker with his approach. To his great credit, Blair secured a five, effectively having a birdie with his second ball, and when Keith was unable to get up and down from the bunker Blair had gained an unlikely half at the hole to maintain his two hole lead.
The players matched each in one over par figures other over the following four holes, the only blemish being a half in bogeys at the par three fourteenth after both players missed the green from the tee, which left Blair dormie two in the match.
At the par three seventeenth, Blair missed the green from the tee whilst Keith secured a fine birdie two, to take the match to the final hole.
At the last, Blair had some anxious moments when he had to search for his ball in the left rough from the tee, but ultimately the ball was found and he was able to secure the necessary half in par fours to give himself a single hole victory and the 2022 Ayrshire Champion of Champions title.
The final was held on the same evening as the inaugural Ayrshire Senior Men's Matchplay Championship final, and at the conclusion of both finals, Ayrshire Golf Association President Scott Gilchrist presented vouchers to the finalists, with the final act of the evening being the presentation of the Ayrshire Champion of Champions Trophy to the 2022 winner, Blair Morton.
No comments:
Post a Comment