AYRSHIRE BOYS MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - quarter final results

The first round of the 2016 Ayrshire Boys Matchplay Championship was completed on Tuesday evening, 9th August, at Prestwick Golf Club, with the four winners progressing to the semi finals.

In the first tie, the new Ayrshire Boys Champion Jack Broun (Ayr Belleisle) faced clubmate Callum Irving (Ayr Belleisle).

A birdie two at the second hole put Broun one up after the opening hole was halved in par, and Broun took control of the tie  by winning the third and fourth also, to go three up, after Irvine lost balls at both holes.

The 5th was halved with birdie twos before Irving reduced the deficit to one with winning pars at the seventh and eighth.

Broun remained on up as the players turned for home  but successive birdies at the eleventh and twelfth won both holes for Irving, to put him one up in the match for the first time.

Successive birdies at the thirteenth and fourteenth restored Broun's two hole lead and par fours at the fifteenth and sixteenth were good enough to take both holes and give Broun a 3 & 2 win.

In the second tie, Kyle Brown (Turnberry) faced Declan Chalmers (Ballochmyle). 

Chalmers put his second shot out of bounds on the opening hole to go one down and Brown doubled his lead with a winning par five at the third. Chalmenrs hit back immediately, winning the fourth and eighth with pars to level the match, which remained level through the turn.

A lost ball on tenth by Brown allowed Chalmers to take the lead for the first time, but par at the eleventh was good enough for brown to square the match once again.

A lost ball by Chalmers at the fourteenth, followed by a bogey five at the fifteenth allowed brown to establish a two hole advantage once again and the Turnberry player secured halves at the next two holes to win by 2 & 1 and progress to the semi finals.

In the third tie, Euan Ferguson (Turnberry) was up against Andrew Gordon (Ayr Belleisle) 

There was never any more than one hole in the tie through the opening nine, the players trading holes throughout the first half, with ferguson taking the ninth for a one hole lead as they turned for home.

A birdie four at the par five twelfth allowed Gordon to square the match once again, but a birdie at the thirteenth and pars at the next two holes were good enough for ferguson to take all three holes, and he closed out the match by 3 & 2 with a half in pars at the sixteenth.

The final tie in round one of the championship featured Charlie Cameron (Ayr Belleisle) and Alyx Murray (Troon Welbeck).

Murray opened poorly with two out of bounds at the first, and two pars and a bogey over the next three holes were good enough for Cameron to establish a four hole lead after four. As Murray steadied his game over the next few holes, Cameron struggled to maintain his form and by the eighth tee, Murray had won three successive holes to reduce the deficit to one. A par four at the ninth was good enough to give Cameron a two hole lead at the turn in an up and down contest.

elfth to reduce the deficit to one once more..

A bogey at the long tenth by Murray gave the hole, and a three hole advantage, to Cameron, but again Murray hit back with a winning par and birdie at the eleventh and twelfth to go back to one behind.

Cameron re established a two hole lead at the thirteenth, only to see Murray take the fifteenth with a par four to reduce the lead to one once more. Despite his best effort, Murray could not stop Cameron taking the sixteenth and seventeenth with par fours, to win the tie by 3 & 1.

The semi final matches, due to be played on the evening of Wednesday 10th August, again at Prestwick GC, are :-

JACK BROUN (Ayr Belleisle) vs. KYLE BROWN (Turnberry)

EUAN FERGUSON (Turnberry) Vs CHARLIE CAMERON (Ayr Belleisle)