AYRSHIRE MEN'S MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - Harvey Broadfoot wins county title at Rowallan Castle GC

Harvey Broadfoot (Royal Troon) is the 2024 Ayrshire Men's Matchplay Champion, winning a classic final match over the Rowallan Castle golf course on Thursday the 9th of May against Cameron Aitken (Largs).

The two finalists produced some excellent golf, over a course in super condition, with the destination of the title not decided until the final regulation hole of the match.

Harvey Broadfoot, who came straight from an afternoon university exam to play the final, got off to a great start with an opening birdie three giving him the lead. After the second was halved in par threes, Broadfoot doubled his lead at the third with a two putt winning birdie four.

Having done little wrong over the opening three holes to find himself two down, Aitken showed his capabilities over the next couple of holes, holing a 12 foot birdie put at the fourth to reduce the deficit to one hole, and following that with a successfule fifteen foot putt for a birdie two at the fifth to square the match.

At the sixth Broadfoot restored a lead when Aitken couldn't match his regulation par four, and he further increased his advantage at the seventh when Aitken's eight foot birdie putt hit the hole but spubn out, while Broadfoot capitalised on his approach shot to within six feet of the hole by holing his putt for a winning birdie three.

After both players hit fine shots to the eighth green from the tee which left them six and four feet away, Aitken saw his birdie effort hang on the lip but stay above ground, while broadfoot holes his put for another birdie to go three up in the match after eight holes.

A half in regulation par fives at the ninth saw the players turn for home with Broadfoot holding a three hole advantage. The two players scoring of four under par and one under par truly reflected the high standard of play in the outward half.

Aitken needed to get a foothold in the tie early in the inward half and after the tenth was halved in par threes, a fine par four at the eleventh saw Aitken reduce the defecit to two holes, Broadfoot being unable to get up and down from sort of the green in two.

Though both players had chances, the twelfth and thirteenth were both halved in par fours, and after Broadfoot foud a difficult bunker lie from the tee at the fourteenth, from where he could only make a bogey five, Aitken took two putts from the back of the green, holing from four feet for a winning par four to reduce the match defecit to a single hole.

pars for both players at the fifteenth took the players to the last three holes with broadfoot one ahead in the match.

At the par five sixteenth Aitken found the right rough from the tee and laid up short of the water hazard on the right in two, while Broadfoot found the middle of the fairway from the tea, and bravely decided to go for the green in two, hitting an excellent drawn fairway wood which ran just off the left of the green in two.

Aitken's approach came up short of the green at the front, next to a greenside bunker,, from where he was able to chip to within two feet of the hole for a fighting par five.

Despite his excellent second shot, Broadfoot was unluckt to find his ball at rest below a bush and ad the base of a grass slope, but he played an excellent chip shot to six feet from the hole and followed that with a succesful putt for a birdie four to go dormie two in the match.

At the par three seventeenth Broadfoot was pin high just off the edge of the green from the tee, from where he chipped down to within four feet of the hole in two. Aitken found the front right bunker from the tee and, up against the face, did well to get his ball out and onto the green, where it came to rest eighteen feet from the hole.

To his great credit, Aitken holed his putt for an unlikely par three, which proved vital when Broadfoot's put for a half, and the match, slid past the hole, reducing Broadfoot's lead to one with one hole to play.

Both players had excellent tee shots at the closing par five hole.  Playing first, Aitken hit his second to pin high, just off the right edge of the green while broadfoot's second found the middle of the green, some forty five feet from the hole.

Aitken's eagle effort pulled up three feet short of the hole the hole, but Broadfoot followed with an excellent approach putt to within a foot of the hole, prompting a concession from Aitken and giving the 2024 Ayrshire Men's Matchplay title  and trophy to Harvey Broadfoot. 

The final was played in the best of spirit and the level of play was of the highest standard, Broadfoot going round in two under par figures, one better that Aitken with a 1 under par total.

The title, adds a first senior county title to his previous title wins in two Ayrshire Boys Strokeplay and two Ayrshire Boys Matchplay championships in both 2021 and 2022, and his Junior order of merit win in 2021.   

Following the final, Ayrshire Golf Association President Andrew Gilligan presented vouchers to both finalists, before handing over the Ayrshire Men's Matchplay Championship trophy to the 2024 champion, Harvey Broadfoot.