THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - Walker & Ferguson maintain Ayrshire interest into match play stages

Euan Walker

Ayrshire interest has been maintained into the matchplay stages of the 2017 Amateur Championship, being played this week at Royal St Georges GC and Princes GC, with two players with local connections reaching the last 64.


Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) finished tied 23rd after the strokeplay qualifying rounds with a three under par total of 139.

Walker had a one over par 73 over the Princes course but his superb second round of four under par 66 at Royal St Georges, which included five birdies and a single bogey, saw him safely through to the matchplay stages with a couple of shots to spare after the cut fell at one under par.

In Wednesday's first matchplay round, walker faces England's Jordan Sundborg (Shanklin & Sandown).

Ben Ferguson

Also through to the matchplay is Australian Ben Ferguson who finished the strokeplay qualifying in tied 11th place on five under par.

Ferguson, who is a member of Turnberry and has his family roots in Maybole, recorded three bogeys, one birdie and an eagle three at the fourteenth in a level par round of 70 over the Royal St Georges course and negotiated the Princes links in a superb five under par 67, which included two bogeys and seven birdies, to give him a qualifying total of 137.

In the first round proper of matchplay on Wednesday, Ferguson will face one of the preliminary round winners who qualified on the cut score of 141.