 |
| 2025 Ayrshire Boys Champion Findlay Andrew |
In testing, sometimes breezy, conditions in the morning, Mason Chisholm (Irvine), Harris Vennard (Ayr Belleisle), and Jenson fergusson (Royal Troon) recorded the leading scratch score at the halfway stage of 74. The eventual winner Findlay Andrew was two shots further back on 76 while Euan Forrest was a shot behind Findlay on 77.
In the afternoon conditions improved but the course still provided a difficult test for the players, with Euan Forrest returning the best score of the afternoon of 73 for a 150 total scratch score in the championship, which was ultimately only matched by fellow Turnberry member Findlay Andrew.
As the rules of the competition specified a play off for the trophy and title in the event of a tie over 36 holes, Findlay and Euan were destined to be part of the first title play off since 2011, when Callum Beveridge of Troon Welbeck beat the defending champion Charlie Macneal, also of Troon Welbeck when the championship was held that year at Prestwick St Nicholas GC.
The three hole play off was over the par five holes of 1, 18 and 1 again, and both players produced good golf in a very closely matched title decider.
Both players had par fives at the first hole before Findlay took a crucial advantage at the second play off hole when he birdied the 18th hole against Euan's par five to take a single shot advantage to the final play off hole, the first hole on the course again.
To Euan's credit he did everything he could to try to extend the play off into sudden death holes, recoding a birdie four at the hole to cover the three play off holes in one under par, but Findlay was up to the challenge, matching Euan's closing birdie four to finish the three play off holes in an impressive two under par to secure the 2025 Ayrshire Boys Champion title.
The competition for the Hilmarton Trophy and the title of Ayrshire Boys Handicap Champion was equally as closely contested.
 |
| 2025 Handicap Champion James McNeillie |
The best nett score in the morning was 70 by 7 handicapper Ethan McMurdo (Prestwick St Nicholas)while just three sub 70 nett scores were returned in the afternoon by James McNeillie (West Kilbride) playing off 6, 18 handicapper Owen Ferguson (Ayr Belleisle) and 12 handicapper Harry Moran (Ayr Belleisle) who all finished with the best nett aggregate score of 140 for 36 holes.
Crucially, James McNeillie had the better second round score of the three, his 68 being one better than both Owen and Harry's afternoon rounds of 69 which gave James the 2025 Ayrshire Boy's handicap Champion title and custody of the Hilmarton Trophy for the next 12 months.
At the conclusion of the championship Ayrshire Golf Association president Andrew Gilligan (Royal Troon) presented vouchers to the prizewinners present and handed over the trophies to the succesful champions.
 |
| President Gilligan with the 2025 trophy winners |
The full list of prizewinners and championship scores were:-
No comments:
Post a Comment