CHAMPIONS ALL - Orla, Stephen, and Harvey win three major county titles at Royal Troon

Orla Moran (Irvine), Stephen King (Prestwick St Nicholas) and Harvey Broadfoot (Royal Troon) were the winners on the evening of Friday the 15th of August at Royal Troon when the destination of three of Ayrshire's major county titles were decided for the 2025 season.

Played in glorious conditions, the first final out on the night was the Ayrshire Women's Champion of Champions Trophy match between the 2025 Ayrshire Girl's Strokeplay Champion Orla Moran (Irvine) and the Ayrshire Women's Strokeplay Champion Kelly McNee (Loudoun).

The opening holes ultimately proved crucial in the match with kelly finding bunkers in the opening three holes which resulted in Orla taking a two hole lead, which was extended to three holes at the fourth when Kelly missed the fairway on the left from the tee and struggled to extracate the ball from the heavy rough.

At the eighth hole, The Postage Stamp, Kelly pulled her tee shot into the coffin bunker but despite extracating the ball in one shot went further behind as Orla, who had found the green from the tee, two putted for a winning par three to extend her lead to four holes.

At the ninth hole a three putt from orla allowed Kelly to get a hole back and the players turned for home with Orla three up in the match.

The players werre closely matched over the opening holes of the inward nine, halving the first four of the back half before kelly reduced the defecit to two hole by taking the fourteenth with a par three, before halving the fifteenth to leave orla on the brink of victory, being two up with three to play.

At the sixteenth both players were well placed in two but while orla found the green with her approach, kelly pushed her third wide of the green, and despite her best efforts was unable to match orla's two putts for a wining five and victory in the match by 3&2.

The second final on the course was the Ayrshire Senior Men's Matchplay Championship for the Iain Harvey Trophy, which paired Dominic Booth (Turnberry) and Stephen King (Prestwick St Nicholas).

A half in par fours at the opening hole was followed by a winning birdie three for Dominic at the second hole after he played a fine approach shot to eleven feed from the hole.

A par five at the fourth hole was good enough for Stephen to square the match byt Dominic immediately restored his lead with a par three at the fifth, and extended his advantage two holes later when Stephen could only bogey the sevent hole.

At the Postage Stamp Stephen found the centre of the green with his tee shot while Dominic was unfortunate to see his tee shot find the front of the green before spinning back some ten feet to the fringe then slowly running down the slope at the front of the green aadn coming to rest in a bunker. Two putts from Stephen were good enough to reduce the defecit to a single hole, and when Dominic found trouble at the ninth Stephen took full advantage , winning a second successive hole to square the match at the turn.

Stephen started the back nine strongly, winning the eleventh with a birdie three and the thirteenth with a par four to take a two hole advantage after fourteen holes, having covered the first five holes on the inward nine in one under par figures.

When Dominic found trouble again at the fifteenth, Stephen extended his lead to three holes with just three holes of the reguilation round remaining, and looked well on course for the title win.

The ultimate win proved difficult to attain however as Dominic won the sixteenth with a par five and the seventeenth with a par three to take the match all the way to the eighteenth. At the eighteenth Stephen again looked to be in control having found the middle of the green in two, while Dominic's approach had drifted right into a greenside bunker. Putting first, Stephen's tentative birdie putt pulled up five feet short of the hole, and to his credit Dominic piled on the pressure by completing an excellent up and down from the bunker by holing his 12 foot putt for par. Stephen still had a putt for a half and the title, but his attempt slipped agonisingly past the hole, and the match finished all square after the regulation round, meaning that the destination of the trophy and title would be decided in a sudden death play off over extra holes. 

At the first extra hole, the first on the course, Dominic pushed his tee shot right and despite the assistance of many of the sixty or so spectators that had turned out to watch the finals, the ball could unfortunately not be found. Although Doiminic holed out with his second ball in four shots, for a double bogey six, Stephen was able to steady his game and bettered Dominic's score at the first extra hole to secure the 2025 Ayrshire Senior Men's Matchplay title.

The last of the finals to play off was the Ayrshire Men's Champion of Champions Trophy match between the 2025 Ayrshire Men's Strokeplay Champion Harvey Broadfoot (Royal Troon) and the 2024 winner of the same title gavin Chesney (Kilbirnie Place).

Gavin missed the fairway to the right from the first tee and ultimately missed an eight foot putt for par to match Harvey's winning par four, giving harvey the early lead, whis was extended to two holes at the second when gavin conceded, having been unable to extracate his ball from a greenside bunker where his approach shot finished.

The third was halved in par fours before Harvey extended his lead with a birdie four at the fifth hole, and then went four holes up at the sixth when Gavin conceded after finding trouble and having to take a penalty. 

The match looked to be running away from Gavin but he rallied over the closing holes of the outward half with both players recording pars at all three holes to turn for home with harvey holding his four hole advantage.

A par four from Harvey at the tenth increased his lead to five holes after gavin three putted the green, and despute harvey cutting his tee shot at the eleventh onto the railway, he still managed to half the hole when Gavin had a second successive three putt, spurning the opportunity to reduce the defecit.

A half in fours at the twelfth left Harvey five up with six holes to play and at the thirteenth, which proved to be the final hole of the contest, both players were perfectly placed from the tee but while Harvey found the middle of the green in two Gavin's ball fell short and rolled back off the green, but he did not get the opportunity to extend the contest as Harvey holed his putt from ten feet for a winning birdie three and a 6&5 victory in the match.

At the conclusion of the three finals Ayrshire Golf Association President Andrew Gilligan (Royal Troon) thanked Royal Troon for the continued support in hosting these finals anually, congratualted the finalists on their achievements, and thanked the spectators who had turned out on the night and added to the occasion, before presenting vouchers to all the finalists and handing over the respective trophies to the three new champions.