AYRSHIRE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS - Smyth wins 2017 title at Royal Troon

2017 Champion Of Champions Trophy winner
Michael Smyth (Royal Troon)

Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) is the 2017 Ayrshire Champion Of Champions Trophy title winner after beating Graeme Gimson (Prestwick St Cuthbert) in the final, over the Old Course at Royal Troon, on Friday 11th August.

Smyth got off to the perfect start in the match, taking the first three holes. A concession by Gimson at the first was followed by a birdie three for Smyth at the second and a winning par four at the third.


Gimson stemmed the tide briefly at the fourth when the hole was halved in birdie fours but when Gimson failed to make par at the short fifth hole, Smyth extended his lead to four up.

Gimson battled on and successive birdies at the sixth and seventh saw him reduce Smyth's advantage to two holes. The players saw out the remaining holes in the outward half with pars to half both holes, leaving Smyth two ahead as the match turned for home.

At the tenth, Smyth could only manage a bogey five and Gimson took the opportunity to reduce the defecit further, to a single hole, wth a winning par four.

2017 Champion Of Championj Trophy finalists
Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) &
Graeme Gimson (Prestwick St Cuthbert
With match referee Iain Harvey

The initiative appeared to be turning in Gimson's favour, but at the testing eleventh hole the St Cuthbert player could only manage a double bogey against Smyth's par four, and Smyth restored a two hole lead in the match. The win at the eleventh proved pivotal as Smyth quickly extended his lead futrther, to three holes, by taking the twelfth with a par four also.

With holes running out for Gimson, the thirteenth and fourteenth were helved in pars, leaving Smyth three ahead with four to play, and a par four at the fifteenth was good enough for Smyth to win the hole to secure the Champion Of Campions Trophy for the first time, with a 4 & 3 victory.

There was a high standard of play from both players throughout the final, with Smyth covering the holes played in par figures.