Tommy McInally wrote his own entry in the Loudoun Gowf Club Centenary records when he captured the Ayrshire Champion Of Champions Trophy, for the fourth time, at a wet and windy Royal Troon on Friday 14th August.
A member of the Loudoun club sincehis earliest junior days, Mcinally had previously won the Champion Of Champions title in 2003, 2004 & 2005 before facing his 2009 final opponent, former Ayrshire Boys Champion Neil McCormack (New Cumnock) - pictured right with McInally.
With a good number of hardy souls from both clubs supporting thir players, the match got under way in driving rain and wind.
A good regulation par four at the first gave Mcinally an early lead, but three putts on both the second and third greens by the former champion allowed McCormack to square the match with a par at the third.
The fourth was halved in pars before McInally restored his one hole advantage with a par three at the fifth.
The match was squared again at the long sixth after Mcinally found rough fron the tee and could only play out well short in two. McCormack played the hole well but both players had trouble on the greens and three putts from both players saw McCormack win the hole and square the match.
Despite his early putting problems, Mcinally atoned at the seventh with a fine birdie putt from 15 feet to go one ahead.
In something of a turning point at the short eighth, The Postage Stamp, both players missed the green on the right but it was McInally, with a fine 10 foot putt, who secured his par and extended his lead to two holes.
The lead was further increased as the players turned from home when McCormack missed the ninth green on the left and McInally two putted for a regulation par four to win the hole and turn for home three holes ahead.
As the rain, which had stopped a few holes earlier to give the players and spectators a little respite, returned, both players struggled with the conditions and a run of holes were conceded without being completed.
McInally lost a ball from the 10th tee, the subsequent concession reducing his lead to two holes, but his advantage was restored at the 11th when McCormack conceded after his third shot drifted over the railway wall and out of bounds.
A hooked tee shot, lost in gorse, at the 12th extracted another concession from McCormack to give Mcinally a four hole lead after 12.
At the 13th, McCormack again found heavy rough and a subsequent lost ball led to a triple bogey 7 as opposed to McInally's regulation four, and the match was dormie 5.
At the short 14th, McCormack missed the green on the left whilst Mcinally found the putting surface from the tee.
A superb chip and a putt gave McCormack an excellent par three but McInally laid his approach putt two feet from the hole and subsequently holed the next shot for a three and a 5 & 4 victory.
At the conclusion of the final, Royal Troon Captain Ken Arthur presented prizes to both the finalists and the trophy to the 2009 winner, Tommy McInally.
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