AYRSHIRE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS TROPHY - Craig Hamilton takes the trophy to Ballochmyle for the first time.

2019 Champion of Champions Trophy winner
Craig Hamilton

Craig Hamilton became the first winner of the Ayrshire Champion of Champions Trophy from Ballochmyle Golf Club in the 44 year history of the event when he beat Robbie Muir (Kilmarnock Barassie)  in the final at Royal Troon on Friday, 9th August 2019.



The beaten finalist in the competition in 2013, Hamilton found himself behind from the first hole in the final this year after Muir opened with a birdie three, but a par five at the fourth was good enough for Hamilton to square the match and a par three at the fifth gave him his second successive hole and a one hole lead in the match.

Muir hit back immediately, taking the sixth with a par five to level the match and three holes later the players, having matched each other over the closing holes of the outward nine, turned for home all square.

Hamilton again took the lead at the difficult eleventh hole with a winning par four but again Muir hit back immediately at the twelfth, winning the hole with a par four against Hamilton's bogey five, to square the tie once again.

The crucial phase of the match came at the fourteenth and fifteenth, Hamilton taking both holes with par figures to go two up with three holes to play, but a birdie four from Muir at the sixteenth won him the hole and reduced the deficit to a single hole with two to play.

The 2019 finalists
Robbie Muir & Craig Hamilton
With match referee Iain Harvey

at the seventeenth both players secured par threes and the match moved to the final hole with Hamilton dormie one.

At the final hole both players found the green in two but Muir was considerably further from the hole than Hamilton and despite his best effort his long putt for a birdie three ran past the hole leaving Hamilton with two putts from around twenty feet for victory.

Drawing on all his experience, Hamilton made no mistake, rolling his birdie putt up to the side of the hole which prompted a concession from Muir to secure the trophy and Champion of Champions title by a single hole.

The final was refereed, without incident, by Ayrshire Golf Association Honorary President Iain Harvey, and at the conclusion of the final the Ayrshire Golf Association President John W Watt presented vouchers to both the finalists before handing over the trophy to the 2019 champion, Craig Hamilton.