AYRSHIRE BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP - Scott Newman wins 2023 title at Largs

Scott Newman (Royal Troon) is the 2023 Ayrshire Boys Champion, winning the title by four shots at Largs on Thursday the 3rd of August. 

71st Ayrshire Boys Champion
Scott Newman

In ideal conditions in the morning, and a course in excellent condition, with the famed testing greens at Largs running quick and true, Newman led the field after the first 18 holes with a 4 over par score of 74, three ahead of his closest challenger Ryan Kennedy (Irvine) on 77. After the morning round Euan Forrest West Kilbride) was a shot further back on 78 whilst Connor Wills (Royal Troon), Aidan hay (Irvine),  Adam Cowan (Loudoun) Jack Broadfoot (Troon Welbeck) and Harris Fleming (Royal Troon) were all still in the hunt after carding 79's.

The best nett return in the morning was posted by 20 handicapper Josh Erskine (Caprington) with a five under par nett score of 65.

Though a testing breeze grew throughout the afternoon, scores were generally better.

Connor Wills posted the early target, adding a three over par score of 73 in the second round for a total of 152 which ultimately saw him finish third in the championship.

Despite carding a triple bogey at the second hole in his afternoon round, Ryan Kennedy recovered to card a fine score of 72 in the afternoon for a  thirty six hole total of 149 and second place overall in the championship.

The destination of the championship was entirely in the hands of the half way leader Scott Newman and to his credit he returned the best score of the day overall in his second round, a one over par 71, to consolidated his lead, with his total of 145 giving him the 2023 county title with a comfortable four stroke winning margin.

Scott Gilchrist, Scott Newman & Josh Erskine

In the afternoon Josh Erskine (Caprington) bettered his morning nett score by a shot, his afternoon 64 adding to his morning 65 to give him a superb nett total of 129, eleven under par, to take the top net prize by a margin of fifteen shots from his nearest rival.

At the conclusion of the championship Ayrshire Golf Association President Scott Gilchrist (Loudoun) presented prize vouchers to the successful competitors before handing the championship trophy over to the 71st Ayrshire Boys Champion, Scott Newman.

The list of prizewinners and final scores were:-

Winning Scratch Scores
Position	Players Name	Club	Score
1st	SCOTT NEWMAN	Royal Troon	145
2nd	RYAN KENNEDY	Irvine	149
3rd	CONNOR WILLS	Royal Troon	152
4th	FINDLAY WATT	West Kilbride	155
Winning Nett Scores
Position	Players Name	Club	Score
1st	JACK ERSKINE	Caprington	129
2nd	JAKE HENDRY	West Kilbride	144
3rd	ADAM COWAN	Louodubn	145
4th	LUKE JONES	Prestwick St Nicholas	147

PLAYER	CLUB	SCRATCH			H/C	NETT
		RD1	RD2	TOTAL		RD1	RD2	TOTAL
Scott Newman	Royal Troon	74	71	145	0	74	71	145
Ryan Kennedy	Irvine	77	72	149	2	75	70	145
Connor Wills	Royal Troon	79	73	152	0	79	73	152
Finlay Watt	West Kilbride	80	75	155	3	77	72	149
Adam Cowan	Loudoun	79	80	159	7	72	73	145
Luke Jones	Pr St Nicholas	84	77	161	7	77	70	147
Liam Moran	Irvine	83	79	162	5	78	74	152
Oliver Long	Kil Barassie	83	80	163	3	80	77	157
Euan Forrest	W Kilbride	78	85	163	5	73	80	153
Jake Hendry	W Kilbride	80	84	164	10	70	74	144
Sean Hillis	Kil Barassie	85	79	164	3	82	76	158
Jack Broadfoot	Tr Welbeck	79	85	164	4	75	81	156
Harris Fleming	Royal Troon	79	85	164	4	75	81	156
Lyle Vogwell	West Kilbride	84	81	165	7	77	74	151
Quintin Dunlop	Tr Welbeck	84	82	166	2	82	80	162
Josh Erskine	Caprington	85	84	169	20	65	64	129
Mason Chisholm	Irvine	90	81	171	10	80	71	151
Fraser Ritchie	Tr Welbeck	89	82	171	9	80	73	153
Findlay Andrew	Turnberry	86	87	173	7	79	80	159
Lewis Trundle	Irvine	89	87	176	10	79	77	156
Connor McMillan	Ayr Belleisle	91	85	176	7	84	78	162
Gregor Hay	Turnberry	85	91	176	8	77	83	160
Connor Sloan	Kil Barassie	86	91	177	11	75	80	155
Jake McLaughlan	Tr Welbeck	94	83	177	10	84	73	157
Ethan McMurdo	Pr St Nicholas	88	93	181	15	73	78	151
Ryan Steven	Ayr Belleisle	91	92	183	15	76	77	153
Bertie Pailler	Turnberry	95	88	183	11	84	77	161
Hugh Dunlop	Tr Welbeck	96	91	187	17	79	74	153
Kaiden Grimley	W Kilbride	99	90	189	18	81	72	153
Harris Vennard	Ayr Belleisle	94	98	192	11	83	87	170
Thomas Carlyle	Ayr Belleisle	94	99	193	14	80	85	165
Jack Lammie	Royal Troon	93	100	193	12	81	88	169
Adam McIntyre	Irvine	106	99	205	24	82	75	157
Adam Brown	Ayr Belleisle	113	104	217	26	87	78	165
Sean Byrne	Irvine	n/r	87	n/r	10	n/r	77	n/r
Callum Duffy	Irvine	97	n/r	n/r	14	83	n/r	n/r
Aidan Hay	Irvine	79	n/r	n/r	6	73	n/r	n/r
Kris Downie	Loudoun	97	n/r	n/r	20	77	n/r	n/r

 

 

   

AYRSHIRE MEN'S CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS TROPHY - Aitken and Hamilton through to championship final

The 2023 Ayrshire Men's Champion of Champions Trophy final will be between Cameron Aitken (Largs) and Craig Hamilton (Ballochmyle), after the two semi final ties were played on Friday the 4th of August at Royal Troon.

Cameron Aitken & David Robertson

In the first semi final Cameron Aitken faced David Robertson (Prestwick St Cuthbert) who had ousted the defending champion Blair Morton (Royal Troon) in the previous round.

In a fine display of controlled golf, Aitken was always in charge of the match, and fully capitalised on the occasions where Robertson missed the fairway from the tee, particularly in the closing holes.

One hole ahead at the thirteenth tee, as they turned back towards the clubhouse, Aitken extended his lead and by the time they had completed the fifteenth he was dormie three. A comfortable par at the sixteenth was enough to give Aitken a 3 & 2 victory in the match and a place in the final.

Craig Hamilton & Sam Findlater

The second semi final featured Sam Findlater (Braehead) and the 2019 championship winner Craig Hamilton (Ballochmyle). The highly experienced Hamilton took control of the tie around the turn and by the thirteenth hole held a two hole lead which he extended on the inward stretch to run out winner in the tie by 4 & 3.

The championship final takes place on the evening of Friday the 11th of August at Royal Troon, teeing of at 5.00 p.m. 

AYRSHIRE MEN'S HANDICAP LEAGUE - semi final places for Auchenharvie 88 and Alton

Alton and Auchenharvie 88 are through to the semi finals of the 2023 Ayrshire Men's Handicap League Championship.

In their quarter final encounter with Portmann, Alton won their away fixture by 4 - 2 and their home fixture by 3.5 - 2.5 to progress to the semi finals with a 7.5 - 4.5 aggregate win.

They now await the winner of the quarter final between West Kilbride and Ayr Seafield to see who they face in the semi final. 

West Kilbride lead Ayr Seafield in their tie, following a 4 - 2 home win in the first leg.

Auchenharvie 88 had a 4.5 - 1.5 win in the first leg of their quarter final against Irvine Ravenspark, and won through to the final after a tight match in the second leg, which saw them lose the tie 4 - 2 but progress to the semi final with a 6.5 - 5.5 aggregate win over Irvine Ravenspark.

In the semi finals Auchenharvie 88 will face either Ardeer or Annanhill.

AYRSHIRE SCRATCH LEAGUES - Royal Troon secure first Division One title.

Royal Troon are the 2023 Ayrshire Scratch League Division 1 winners following victory by 4-2 in their penultimate match of the campaign at Ballochmyle on Friday the 4th of August.

The first two ties out were halved but wins from Blair Morton and Harvey Broadfoot ensured at least a half match for the visitors, before Stewart Russell secured the match points, and Royal Troon's first top division title, with a single hole victory in his tie.

Match details (Ballochmyle names first)

William Fleming halved with Paul Moultrie

Greg McPike halved with Robert Jenkins

Neil Clapperton lost to Blair Morton by 3&2

Jack Allan lost to Stewart Russell by 1 hole

Michael Mullen beat Kevin Smith by 2 holes

Dougie McMaster lost to Harvey Broadfoot by 6&5

BALLOCHMYLE    2    ROYAL TROON   4

With four fixtures remaining in Division 1, present positions are:-

	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
ROYAL TROON	9	7	1	1	36.0	18.0	18.0	30
IRVINE	9	3	3	3	30.0	24.0	6.0	17
KILMARNOCK BARASSIE	7	4	0	3	22.5	19.5	3.0	16
LOUDOUN	9	2	3	4	28.0	26.0	2.0	13
LARGS	7	3	0	4	16.5	25.5	-9.0	12
BALLOCHMYLE	9	2	1	6	17.0	37.0	-20.0	10

In DIVISION 3a, the fixtures were concluded with a 5.5-0.5 home win by Troon St Meddans over Irvine Ravenspark. 

Final positions in Division 3a were:- 

	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
TROON ST MEDDANS	6	4	2	0	25.5	10.5	15.0	20
PR. ST NICHOLAS	6	3	1	2	17.5	18.5	-1.0	14
IRVINE RAVENSPARK	6	1	2	3	15.5	20.5	-5.0	8
ROWALLAN CASTLE	6	1	1	4	13.5	22.5	-9.0	6

Due to several issues with the final game in Section 3b, which is crucial to the result of who wins the section, the decision was taken at the last Ayrshire Golf Association Executive meeting to allow the game to be played on the 11th of August. This will have the effect of extending the play by dates for the Div 3 play off final to the end of August. and the subsequent div 2/div 3 promotion play off match between the div 3 runners up and the second bottom of div 2 to mid September.

SCOTTISH MEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - Steven Stamper carries Ayrshire hopes into the last 16

Steven Stamper (Turnberry) carries Ayrshire hopes into the last sixteen of the 2023 Scottish men's Amateir Championship at Royal Dornoch, after the first two rounds of matchplay were completed on Thursday the 3rd of August.

Ayrshire provided four of the 64 qualifiers for the matchplay stages with James Bunch (Prestwick) losing out by 3&2 in the first round against Jamie Mann (Scotland), and Ruben Lindsay (Turnberry) losing out at the same stage, by two holes, against Calum Morrison (Inverurie).

Jack Broun (Turnberry) had a 4&3 win over Cameron Mukherjee (Loretto School) in the first round but lost out by 2&1 to the runner up in the strokeplay qualifying, Ross Laird (Glenbervie), in the afternoon's second round ties.

A win by 3&2 in the morning over Ben Murray (Portlethen) gave Steven Stamper (Turnberry) a second round tie against the 10th qualifier Mitchell Cowie (Dumfries & County), in a dramatic finish to a match in which he had never been ahead, Stamper turned a two hole deficit with three holes to play into a single hole victory on the last green, to progress to the last 16 of the championship.

On Friday morning at 0850, Stamper lines up against the number seven qualifier Chris Mailley (Brora), bidding for a place in the afternoon's quarter finals.

SCOTTISH MEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - Four Ayrshire players qualify for matchplay at Royal Dornoch

Four Ayrshire players have come through the 36 hole strokeplay qualifying to secure a place in the matchplay stages of the 2023 Scottish Men's Amateur Championship, being held at Royal Dornoch from the 1st to the 5th of August. 

The qualifying rounds, played over the Royal Dornoch course and nearby Tain GC, took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, and were dominated by Adam Cameron of Royal Burgess with a 14 under par total of 126, with successive rounds of 63.

The best placed Ayrshire player was Jack Broun (Turnberry) in equal 27th place on 142, 2 over par, following two rounds of 71.

Ruben Lindsay (Turnberry) and Steven Stamper (Turnberry) were in equal 38th place, a shot further back on 143 (+3), following rounds of 71/72 and 69/74 respectively.

The fourth Ayrshire qualifier was James Bunch (Prestwick) who finished in equal 47th place on 144 (+4) following successive rounds of 72.

The cut for the matchplay rounds fell at 145, 5 over par.

The other Ayrshire players who took part in the championship, but missed the cut, were:-

146 (+6) - Daniel Forbes (Irvine) 73/73

147 (+7) - Harvey Broadfoot (Troon Welbeck) 75/72

148 (+8) - Harvey McDonald (Turnberry) 76/72

149 (+9) - Alyx Murray (Kilmarnock Barassie) 77/72

152 (+12) - Adrian Orton (Kilmarnock Barassie) 75/77

152 (+12) - Scott Newman (Royal Troon) 73/79

158 (+18) - Cameron McGarvie (Prestwick) 76/82

164 (+24) - David Strachan (Turnberry) 83/81

164 (+24) - Robert Ronnie (Kilmarnock Barassie) 76/88

---- (+8) - Dominic Booth (Turnberry) 78/---

---- (+12) - Max Barclay (Turnberry) 82/---

The matchplay rounds begin on the morning of Thursday 3rd August, and conclude on Saturday 5th August.

In the first round of the matchplay the first Ayrshire player out is James Bunch (Prestwick) who tees off at 07.16 against Jamie Mann (Scotland).

Second out, at 09.24, is Jack Broun (Turnberry) who plays Cameron Mukherjee (Loretto School).

Third out, at 10.20, is Steven Stamper (Turnberry) who plays Ben Murray (Portlethen).

The last Ayrshire player to set off in the first round of the matchplay, at 11.08, is Ruben Lindsay (Turnberry) who is up against Calum Morrison (Inverurie)

SPORTSCOTLAND - Nominations sought for national awards

Sport Scotland are seeking nominations for their annual coaching, officiating, and volunteering awards for 2022 - 2023. 

All information for each category (apart from the lifetime contribution award) must relate to the year of July 2022 to July 2023.

The closing date for nominations is 12 noon on Wednesday 9 August 2023.

Details of nomination criteria are available via Sport Scotland.

Categories include:-

Coaching

Young Coach of the Year 

Community Coach of the Year 

Disability Sport Coach of the Year  - The Janice Eaglesham Award 

Performance Pathway Coach of the Year 

High Performance Coach of the Year 

Coach Developer of the Year 

Officials

Young Official of the Year 

Official of the Year 

Volunteers

Young Volunteer of the Year 

School Sport Volunteer of the Year 

Volunteer of the Year​​

Coach, Official or Volunteer​ Lifetime Contribution Award

Further information and on line nomination forms can be accessed via the Sport Scotland website at

Sport Scotland Coaching Officiating and Volunteers Awards 2022 - 2023

AYRSHIRE BOYS' CHAMPIONSHIP - updated draw for Largs

The 2023 Ayrshire Boys' Strokeplay Championship takes place at Largs GC on Thursday the 3rd of August.

The field for the 36 hole championship has been updated and published below.

There will be prizes on both a scratch and handicap basis, and entry is £10.

The players returning the best eight scratch scores in the tournament will go forward to contest the Ayrshire Boys' Matchplay Championship over the links at Prestwick Golf Club later in August.

The revised draw is:-

AYRSHIRE SENIOR MEN'S MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - 2023 semi finalists confirmed

The four semi finalist sin the 2023 Ayrshire Senior Men's Matchplay Championship have been confirmed with all the four quarter finals being completed recently. 

Brian Fisher (Largs) had a 4&2 win at home to George Robertson (Irvine) to set up a home semi final tie against Stuart Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie), who defeated clubmate Iain Macfarlane by 3&2 in their quarter final tie. 

The second semi final will be an all Prestwick St Nicholas affair, with Andrew Marshall having single hole away win against the new Senior Men's Strokeplay Champion James McIntyre (Redburn) to set up a semi final showdown with defending champion Alistair Belford, who continued his defence of the trophy with a  5&4 home win over Steven Capstick (Ballochmyle) in the quarter finals.

The two semi final matches are due to be completed by the 9th of August, with the final scheduled to take place at Royal Troon on the evening of Friday the 11th of August.