Calum took his first county title with a single hole victory over Harvey Broadfoot (Royal Troon) in a match which produced some outstanding golf from both players, despite a strong breeze sweeping over the course for much of the match.
The second and third were halved in pars, and the fourth in birdie threes after both players were greenside from the tee with two irons and took two to get down for birdie threes.
Calum increased his lead to two holes at the fifth with a winning par four after Harvey’s tee shot found a hollow in the right rough and he was unable to go for the green in two. His third finished twenty five feet from the hole and he failed with his par attempt, while Calum, who had missed short right with his approach and ran into a bunker hit his bunker shot to three feet and holed to extend his lead.
Harvey reduced the deficit to one at the sixth, two putting for a birdie four after both players found the green in two but Calum putted up to eight feet and missed his birdie attempt, and the match was all square after seven when Harvey successfully two putted from twenty five feet for a winning par three, Calum having missed the green to the right from the tee and chipped up to twenty feet, only to see his par putt lip out and remain above ground.
To his credit Calum regrouped at the eighth, holing from twelve feet for a winning birdie three to restore a one-hole advantage, which he took into the inward nine after the ninth was halved in pars.
Calum holed a four foot putt at the tenth for a half in par fours to maintain his slim advantage before again increasing his lead to two at the eleventh where both players missed the fairway from the tee, Calum left and Harvey right, and both missed the green in two before Harvey missed his par putt from fifteen feet and Calum holed his from eight feet to make the match score two holes to Calum after eleven holes played.
At the twelfth Calum pulled his tee shot right and went through the green in two before chipping to eight feet in three. Despite a good effort his par putt failed to drop and Harvey, having played the hole in text book style, reduced the deficit to one hole again.
The par three thirteenth was halved in pars when Harvey two putted and Calum, who had just missed the green to the left from the tee putted up to within a couple of feet for a conceded par three, and at the long par five fourteenth the hole was halved in birdie fours, Calum missing the fairway on the left from the tee but playing an excellent second to the centre of the green and seeing his eagle putt from fifteen feet miss the hole by mere inches while Harvey, who had reduced the 562 yard hole to a drive and a nine iron, saw his ball run just through the green from where he two putted for a half.
Harvey found the front of the par three fifteenth green from the tee with his birdie effort finishing four feet past the hole, while Calum’s tee shot threatened the hole on the way past and came to rest ten feet beyond the hole. Calum’s birdie attempt to increase his lead clipped the hole but failed to drop and Harvey holed his par putt to keep the deficit to one hole.
Both players found the fairway from the sixteenth tee and Harvey’s approach was strong, his ball coming to rest in the centre of the green, leaving an extremely difficult putt to the hole cut in the hollow at the front of the green, while Calum’s approach shot over the burn hit the flagstick before coming to rest five feet past the hole, leaving a difficult downhill and undulating birdie putt. Putting first, Harvey produced an excellent putt which came to rest a few inches from the hole and his par was conceded, and despite a good effort, Calum’s downhill birdie putt lipped out and remained above ground.
One behind with two to play, and with both players finding the fairway from the tee, it was Harvey’s turn to hit the pin with his second shot, his ball taking one bounce before striking the flagstick and coming to rest twenty feet from the hole. Calum’s second shot found the back of the green from where he putted up to a few inches to secure his par four, and his single hole advantage was maintained to the last when Harvey’s birdie effort pulled up just short of the hole.
At the conclusion of the final the match referee, Ayrshire Golf Association Vice President William Fleming, thanked Western Gailes GC for hosting the championship and the spectators and officials for supporting the players during the week, before presenting vouchers to both finalists and handing over the trophy to the newly crowned Ayrshire Men’s Matchplay Champion Calum Nairn.
