AYRSHIRE BOYS' MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - DOUBLE TITLE JOY FOR HARVEY BROADFOOT

Harvey Broadfoot (Troon Welbeck) completed the Ayrshire Boys' Championship and Matchplay Championship double on Thursday night, the 12th of August, when he beat Max Barclay (Ayr Belleisle) in the matchplay final at Prestwick Golf Club.

Harvey got off to the perfect start, pars at the opening two holes being enough to give him a two hole advantage early on but Max settled down quickly and reduced the deficit to one hole with a birdie three at the fourth hole. Harvey quickly restored his two hole lead with a par three at 'The Hymalayas' winning him the hole and as Max struggled to get up and down from the surrounds of a couple of the greens in the mid holes of the outward half, Harvey pressed home his advantage, winning the sixth and seventh to go four up in the match. Max again fought back and reduced the deficit to two holes by the turn, only to lose the tenth to let Harvey restore a three hole advantage.

When Harvey lost his second shot to the thirteenth in rough to the left of the fairway, the hole was conceded and Max was back to two behind. A half in regulation par fours at the fourteenth saw the players move into Prestwick's famed closing loop of four holes with Harvey holding a two hole lead.

At the fifteenth Max was through the back right of the green in two with Harvey on the green, towards the back right edge of the putting surface. Max's chip pulled up eighteen feet short of the hole and when Harvey putted up to within eighteen inches of the hole, his par four was conceded. Max needed to hole his putt to prevent Harvey going dormie three, but his effort slipped past the right side of the hole and harvey went three up with three to play.

At the sixteenth, Harvey was short of the green and playing his approach first whilst Max's tee shot came to rest on the grass bank within the Cardinal Bunker, close to the sleepers at the front of the bunker. Harvey's approach finished twelve feet past, and below, the hole and then Max played a very good chip from the lie, his ball coming to rest ten feet past the hole.

Putting first, Harvey gave max no chance to keep the contest alive, stroking in his putt for a birdie to secure a 3&2 victory in the match.

In following up his success in the Ayrshire Boys Championship at Ballochmyle earlier in the month with the Matchplay Championship title, Harvey Broadfoot became the fifth player to 'do the double' following Scott Brown (Turnberry) in 2008, the last one to achieve the feat, Jack Thomas (Irvine) in 2014, as well as two other Troon Welbeck members in Louis Murray in 2013 and Callum Beveridge in 2011.

Ayrshire Golf Association President John W Watt (Prestwick St Cuthbert) presented vouchers to both finalists at the conclusion of the match and handed over the Ayrshire Boys Matchplay Championship trophy, and commemorative medal, to the 2021 winner, Harvey Broadfoot.