(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 18th 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
|
969.32
| |
|
2
|
120
|
967.61
| |
|
3
|
143
|
946.43
| |
|
4
|
164
|
930.48
| |
|
5
|
165
|
930.00
| |
|
6
|
180
|
918.03
| |
|
7
|
241
|
878.00
| |
|
8
|
314
|
846.38
| |
|
9
|
374
|
826.56
| |
|
10
|
400
|
819.30
|
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