Both players featured in the Ayrshire team in the first Scottish Area team Championship qualifying the previous week, and the match was always likely to prove close and produce good golf.
John took the lead at the third, his twenty five foot put from just off the front of the green finishing a few inches from the hole for a winning par three after John's chip from the rought to the right of the green ran eighteen feet from the hole and he failed in his par attempt.
Scott increased his lead to two holes at the fourth. Both players hit lenghty drives to within sixty yards of the hole and, playing first, Scott hit an incredible approach which he almost holed and which came to rest an inch from the cup. John's approach from forty five yards finished fifteen feet from the flag but his birdie effort for a half failed to drop.
After the fifth was halved in par fours, John reduced the defecit to one hole at the sixth in a pivotal matchplay scenario.
After Scott hit the green with a one iron tea shot, setting up a forty foot eagle putt, John's tee shot landed short of the green and ran down the slope, leaving a greenside bunker betwen his ball ,and the hole, from whre he chipped to eight feet from the hole.
Scott's eagle putt pulled up six feet from the hole, and after John holed his putt for a birdie three Scott 's effort to match him failed to drop, his three putt par allowing John to get a hole back in the match.
Despite the disappointment at the previous hole, Scott restored his two hole advantage at the seventh after John's tee shot clipped a tree and finished in trouble. An approach from eighty yards and two putts was enough for a winning par four for Scott to go two ahead again.
Again John came back at the eighth hole and despite his tee shot finishing hampered by trees he was able to play close to the green, chip up, and secure a par four, while Scott's approach shot found a bunker and he failed to get up and down for a half.
Both players had good efforts for their birdie threes at the ninth hole but ultimately the hole was halved in par fours and Scott retained his single hole lead at the turn.
The match was squared at the tenth when both players played good approach shots, but John holed his birdie attempt from eight feet while Scott failed to match him with his own effort from four feet.
Scott looked in charge at the twelfth after John found trees on the right from the tee and was only able to get his ball to the green, twenty feet from the hole, in three, while Scott had a four foot putt for par. Putting first, John saw his effort hit the back of the hole and drop for an unlikely par, which Scott matched and score remained all square.
The twelfth and thirteenth holes ultimately proved to be the turning point in the match with John taking both to establish a two hole advantage with five to play.
A fine birdie putt from five feet at the twelfth put John up for the first time in the match and he followed with another birdie three at the thirteenth hole, putting out from ten feet to lead by two holes.
Scott almost reduced the defecit at the short fourteenth, his birdie effort from just short of the green finishing just an inch away, but to John's credit he played a good recovery shot from a greenside bunker and , from seven feet, holed his fifth single putt in successive holes to maintain his two hole advantage.
At the fifteenth both players drove over the dog leg but Scott 's ball came to rest at the base of a tree, from which he could only pitch out to the fairway and play his third to fifteen foot from the hole on the green. hampered by trees in front of him, John played a low approach shot against the slope at the front of the green which came to rest next to Scott's ball on the green. Scott's putt for a par four just lacked pace but John continued his dazzling putting display, holing his putt to take the hole and go dormie three in the match.
At the sixteenth, which proved to be the final hole of the final, John's approach from a hundred and fifty yards pulled up just short of the green while Scott's effort, from a hundred yards finished on the left of the green, around twenty feet from the hole.
John played a fine chip under pressure which stopped a mere eighteen inches from the hole, and when Scott's birdie effort ran four feet past, from where he holed for a par four, John unsurprisingly holed yet another single putt for his par and a 3 & 2 victorey in the match to secure the 2025 Ayrshire Men's Matchplay Champion title and trophy.
The association would also like to record sincere thanks to the championship sponsors Lomond Property for their marvelous ongoing support of The Association's championships and events, the members and committee of Ballochmyle Golf Club for hosting the championship and to Balochmyle head greenkeeper Chris McGhee and his staff for presenting the course in such fine condition for the championship.
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