AYRSHIRE BOYS' MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - First county title for Quintin Dunlop

Quintin Dunlop (Turnberry)

secured his first Ayrshire county title on Thursday the 8th of August with victory in the final of the Ayrshire Boys' Matchplay Championship at Prestwick Golf Club.

The final paired Quintin with the two time Ayrshire Boys' Strokeplay Champion Scott newman (West Kilbride), who was bidding for double success in the boy's championships in 2024.

The final began in very wet and testing conditions, but to the credit of both players they opted to play the final as arranged, despite the option of postponement to another date.

Quintin set the foundation of his victory early in the match, four pars and a birdie at the third over the opening five holes giving him a four hole advantage at the at stage.

Scott pulled one back with a wining par four at the sixth hole, and the remaining holes in the outward half were helved in pars to leave Quinitin three up at the turn.

A par four at the long tenth hole saw scott reduce the defecit to two holes but Quinitin restored his three hole advantage with a birdie four at the twelfth hole, and maintained the leading margin throiugh fourteen holes, as play entered the closing loop of four holes.

Both players had opportunities at the fifteenth but a half hole left Quinitin dormie three in the match, and after Scott drove the par four sixteenth green and Quintin found trouble on the right from the tee, the hole was conceded to Scott and the match continued to the seventeenth hole.

At the seventeenth, the last hole of the match, both players found the sahara bunker with their second shots and both played good recoveries from the bunker, Quntin's ball finishing twelve feed past the hole and Scott's finishing eight feet to the left of the cup.

Quintin's par putt, to win the match, slipped past the right of the hole, giving him a bogey five and leaving Scott with the chance of taking the match to the final hole. Despite hitting the putt well, scott saw his effort agonisingly turn and miss the hole to the right, and the match was over, with Quintin taking the title with a 2&1 win.

At the conclusion of the match Ayrshire Golf Association President Andrew Gilligan first took the opportunity to present the Ayrshire Boys' Strokeplay Championship Trophy which he won the week previously to Scott Newman before handing over the Ayrshire Boys' Matchplay Championship trophy  to the 29024 winner, Quintin Dunlop.