The first semi final featured Jake Hendry and the recently crowned 2025 Ayrshire Boys Strokeplay Champion Findlay Andrew (Turnberry).
Jake Hendry & Findlay Andrew
In a close match Jake had a slender one hole lead after seven, which he extended to two holes at the turn, taking the ninth hole after Findlay's putt for the hole from eight feed slipped narrowly past the right side of the hole but then drifted down one of the wicked slopes on the green to finish some ten feet away. Findlay's putt for a half back up the slope pulled up short of the hole and Jake led by two as the players turned for home.
A similar turn of events on the tenth green saw Jake extend his lead to three holes but Findlay countered with a superb tee shot at the par three eleventh to within two feet of the hole, which prompted a concession when Jake failed to get up and down from a bumker for his par, and the match score returned to two holes ahead for Jake. By the fourteenth jake had again restored a three hole advantage which he boosted further with a birdie putt from fifteen feet on the fourteenth green to go four ahead with four holes of regulation play remaining.
Despite the enormous task ahead Findlay won the fifteenth with a par four to take the match to the sixteenth.
At the short par four sixteenth hole both players were just short of the green with their tee shots and while Findlay played a good chip to within twelve feet of the hole, Jake's lofted iron approach was hit heavily and his ball just made the front of the green in two. Despite the loose chip, Jake ralllied and hit an excellent putt to within a foot or so of the hole. Despite hitting a good putt, Findlay's effort for birdie to further extend the match just slipped past the hole and he sportingly conceded jake's short par putt for a 3&2 victory.
 |
| Ethan McMurdo & Euan Forrest |
Euan held a single hole lead after six holes and extended his advantage to two holes after Ethan three putted the tricky seventh green. At the ninth both players found the green in two but while Euan's first put drifted across the slope of the green and came to rest some ten feed below the hole, Ethan, who occasionaly caddies over the prestwick links, used all his experience and knowledge of the course gained in recent months to roll his treacherous downhill birdie putt fromn fifteen feet to within a few inches of the hole and an certain par. facing an uphill putt for a half, Euan saw his ball pull up short of the hole and his advantage was reduced to a single hole at the turn.
Ethan completed the comeback at the eleventh hole where both players found the green with their tee shots. Putting first, Ethan ran a difficult downhill putt from around eighteen feed down the slope and into the hole for a birdie two. Facing a put from nine feed for a half, Euan saw his ball slip just past the right edge of the hole and the match was all square.
At the par five twelfth hole both players had excellent tee shots leaving themselves an iron shot to the green. While Euan's approach pulled up just short of the putting surface, Ethan found the green with his. An approach to eight feet short of the hole left Euan a good chance of a birdie four, but while Ethan succesfully two putted for four, Euan's putt for a half horseshoed round the hole and spun out, giving Ethan the hole and the lead in the match.
At the thirteenth Euan again lipped out for a half and when Ethan also won the fifteenth hole he held a three hole lead with three to play.
At the sixteenth both players were just a few yards short of the green with their tee shots. Playing first, Euan chipped up to within eighteen inches of the hole but Ethan was up to the challenge and his own effort came to rest within ten inches of the hole to secure a 3&2 victory with both birdie putts conceded.
The final is scheduled to tee of on Thursday evening, the 14th of August, at 4.30 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment