SCOTTISH AMATEUR GOLFER OF THE YEAR - Jack McDonald makes it 2 in a row for Ayrshire

(SGU press release)

Jack McDonald

McDonald Wins SGU Amateur Golfer of the Year Award

Jack McDonald has capped the most wonderful year of his young golfing life after being crowned the Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year for 2012.

The Kilmarnock (Barassie) teenager has enjoyed a superb season, admitting it’s been “storybook stuff”, to come out on top in the annual standings.

McDonald, a maths student at the University of Stirling, follows in the spike marks of previous recipients of the Amateur Golfer of the Year accolade, including Dean Robertson, Steven O’Hara, Richie Ramsay, Callum Macaulay and last year’s winner, Michael Stewart.

Graeme Robertson from Glenbervie also enjoyed a fine season this year, domestically and internationally, to finish runner-up in the standings but it was McDonald who took the spoils as the leading Scot on the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the cut off point earlier this month.

“I definitely look back on an awesome year,” he said. “I got a lot of experience, not just the amateur events but professional events too. It’s brilliant to now win this award.”

The 19-year-old, a former SGU National Boys’ Squad member, started his season impressively by claiming the British Universities Men’s title before finishing tied third at the Golf Data Lab Scottish Youths Championship at Ladybank in May.

However, it was at The Amateur Championship at Royal Troon and Gailes Links in June when his year really caught fire. Playing in front of home crowds in Ayrshire, McDonald went on a glory run to the semi-finals, before his hopes were ended by Austrian Matthias Schwab.

McDonald’s still reaped rich reward, rocketing up the world rankings and gaining an invite to the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart on The European Tour. In elite company, McDonald excelled to play all four rounds – brilliantly chipping in on the 18^th to make the cut – and played on the final day with Ernie Els, winner at The Open the following week.

McDonald also earned a place in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, before his season ended on a high representing Scotland for the first time in the Home Internationals at Gailes Links. Collecting four-and-a-half points, McDonald was among the heroes as the Scots won the annual four nations battle for the first time in six years.

“It’s been quite a whirlwind,” said the 2009 Scottish Boys Stroke Play champion. “I was playing really well at the beginning of the year and things just kicked on from there, everything clicked.

“I moved up around 360 places in the world rankings on the back of The Amateur, it was crazy. The schedule I had changed completely as well, like getting invited to play in the Scottish Open.

“Castle Stuart was a bit surreal and it topped off the run I was having. Getting drawn with Ernie, then he went on to win the next week – it was kind of storybook stuff. I chipped in as well to make the cut, which doesn’t happen too often.

“Gleneagles was good too as we don’t play a lot of that sort of golf, a long parkland course. We are used to the links, so it was good to learn what I need to improve for that type of golf as well.”

McDonald, who just missed out on selection to represent Scotland at the World Amateur Team Championship in Turkey next month, will pick up his prize at the glittering Scottish Golf Awards in 2013. Already, he is looking to achieve more next year.

“I’ll look to do the same things with Dean Robertson (High Performance Golf Coach) at the University of Stirling and with the SGU. Hopefully I can have an even better season next year,” he added.

Final 2012 Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year Standings

Rank	WAGR	Player	Points average
1	116	Jack McDonald	969.32
2	120	Graeme Robertson	967.61
3	143	Paul Ferrier	946.43
4	164	Paul Shields	930.48
5	165	Brian Soutar	930.00
6	180	Grant Forrest	918.03
7	241	Matthew Clark	878.00
8	314	James White	846.38
9	374	Fraser McKenna	826.56
10	400	James Ross	819.30