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| 2019 Ayrshire Boys Matrchplay Champion Ross McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) |
Ross
McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) is the 2019 Ayrshire Boys Matchplay Champion
after beating new Ayrshire Boys Champion Kerr Brooks (Irvine) in the final of
the championship which was held at Prestwick Golf Club from 13th to
15th August.
McDonald
opened with a 2 & 1 win over Christopher Hunter (Ballochmyle) in the first
round which set up a semi final against Fraser Russell (Royal Troon) who had a
4 & 2 win over Jamie McKinnon (Caprington) in the first round.
In the other
half of the draw, Kerr brooks beat Harvey McDonald (Ayr Belleisle) by 2 & 1
in the first round to set up a semi final with Harvey Broadfoot (Troon Welbeck)
who had a single hole win over Jack Allan (Ballochmyle) in round one.
The semi
finals were played on Wednesday 14th August with brooks beating
broadfoot by 3&1 and McDonald crushing Russell by 7 & 5.
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| The finalists Kerr Brooks & Ross McDonald |
The final on
Thursday 15th August was played in fine conditions with the
Prestwick links in first class order.
McDonald
took the early initiative in the final, a birdie three at the first giving him
the lead, which he followed with three pars that resulted in him winning the
fourth hole too, to go two up in the match.
Brooks
struck back immediately and a birdie two at the blind par three Himalayas hole was
followed by a fine up and down from heavy greenside rough at the sixth to take
two successive holes and square the match.
The two
players matched each other over the closing holes of the outward half to turn
for home with the match all square.
Brooks went
ahead in the match for the first time when he won the tenth with a fine par
four and when McDonald bunkered his tee shot at the par three eleventh hole,
Brooks took full advantage to go two up in the match.
McDonald
showed his fighting spirit to reduce the deficit by winning the par five
twelfth with a par and when brooks lost a ball two holes later, the match was
again all square as the players moved into the famous closing loop of four
holes on the historic Prestwick links.
A half in
par fours at the fifteenth kept the match all square with three to play, with
the sixteenth providing, as it has in many matches before, the pivotal point of
the final.
At the
sixteenth both players hit fine drives to within fifty yards of the green and
both successfully found the putting surface in two, with long birdie putts
remaining.
Slightly
further from the hole, McDonald putted up close enough for a certain four
whilst Brooks’ effort pulled up five feet short of the hole and his par putt missed
the hole on the low side, giving McDonald a crucial one hole lead with two to
play.
At the
seventeenth, both players hit good drives but whilst Brooks’ approach dropped
short of the green and into the vast bunker, McDonald’s effort found the back
of the green before rolling down to within nine feet of the hole.
A good
bunker shot from Brooks left him with an eleven foot putt for par but his brave
effort pulled up just short, leaving McDonald with two putts for the hole and
the championship.
In a fitting
finale, McDonald rolled his birdie putt into the hole for a 2 & 1 victory.
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