CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS AND SENIORS MATCHPLAY - Finals concluded at Royal Troon

The finals of the Ayrshire Men's Champion of Champions, Ayrshire Women's Champion of Champions and Ayrshire Senior Men's Matchplay Championship trophy competitions were played over the ld course at Royal Troon on the evening of Friday the 9th of August.

The MEN'S CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS final was beteween Aidan Long (Ayr Belleisle) and Jason Butler (Troon St Meddans) with a new winner being assured as it was a first time appearance in the final for both players.

Aidan Long & Jason Butler

Jason took an early lead when, after finding sand from the tee, he recovered, played onto the green in three then holed a putt from 50 feet for a winning par four, after Aidan missed his 15 foot putt for par.

After the third was halved in pars, Aidan levelled the match at the fourth with a birdie four, but jason's lead was restored at the fifth when Aidan took two to extracate his ball from a greenside bunker then missed his putt for a bogey, and conceded the hole as a result.

The lead was again short lived however, Jason's approach at the sixth being too bold from the gully on the left short of the green, endding up in the new pot bunker on the right hand side of the green on his way to a bogey six, against aidan's comfortable par five.

A half in four at the seventh took the players to the famed Postage Stamp hole all square.

At the eighth both players pulled their tee shots to the left of the mound on the left of the green. Aidan's ball was buried deep in the heather whilst Jason's was in a clear patch.  Both had tricky blind shots over the coffin bunker.

Aidan's pitch rolled off the green into the deep bunker on the right of the green and jason was also unlucky to not stay on the green, finishing in the rough, from where he pitched to three feet. Aidan's bunker shot was bold and flew the green, coming to rest balancing in the fescue next to the green. His first was unsuccessful and the next attempt seemed to be have been flopped too. Aidan walked as if to pick up his ball and concede the hole, but as he did so his ball rolled all the way onto the green and dropped into the hole. Jason then had a three foot downhill putt, right to left for the hole, which he missed, and the hole was halved with two adventurous double bogey fives.

At the final hole of the outward half  a good return putt for a par four was good enough for Aidan to win the hole, and he turned for home with a single hole advantage for the first time in the match.

As the players turned for home it was Aidan Long who took control of the matchand ultimately a run of five successive pars from the tenth was enough for Aidan to win the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th holes to secure a 5&4 victory.

Debbie Watt & Audrey Thompson

The WOMEN'S CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS final was a repeat of the 2023 final, with holder Debbie Watt (Ayr Belleisle ladies) again up against Audrey Thompson (Loudoun) who had won the inaugural Ayrshire Women's Matchplay Championship title earlier in the season.

In a very close match Debbie was two up playing the fifteenth but Audrey managed to fight back over the closing holes and after the regulation eighteen holes the match was all square. 

Audrey then went on to win the first extra hole to avenge last years defeat and take her second major county title of the season at the 19th hole of the match.

The SENIOR MEN'S MATCHPLAY final was between the defending champion Brian Fisher (Largs) and Colin Watson (Kilmarnock Barassie), who was appearing in his first county championship final.

A par at the first was good enough to put Brian one uip but he double bogeyed the second to bring the match back to all square, before establishing a good lead by taking the next three holes with par figures to go three up after five holes played. 

Colin Watson & Brian Fisher

The three hole advantage was maintained until the eighth, where Colin scored a welcomed birdie two at the Postage Stamp to reduce the match defecit to two holes, before winning back another with a par at the ninth to turn for home with brian a single hole ahead.

That ultimately was as close as Colin got to squaring the match as he lost the tenth to a par and conceded the eleventh to go three behind once again.

Brian maintained the three hole lead over the next coulple of holes before Colin scored his second birdie two of the evening at the fourteenth to bring the match score back to two holes with four to play.

After the fifteenth was halved, Brian recorded a winning birdie four at the sixteenth to take the hole, and retain the title, with a 3&2 victory.

At the conclusion of play Ayrshire Golf Association President Andrew Gilligan thanked Royal Troon for the use of the course and their continued support of The Association's events, before presenting  vouchers to all the finalists and handing over the trophies to the respective 2024 champions.