SOUTH OF SCOTLAND MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
SOUTHERNESS on 24 and 25 AUGUST
The semi finals and final took place at Southerness on a lovely and warm Sunday with only a very slight breeze from the east, perfect weather for golf on these magnificent links. The course was in excellent condition for the competition and enjoyed by all the competitors. Four Juniors reached the knock out stages only to be beaten in the quarter finals by more experienced players.
In the first semi final Neil Hamilton overcame his fellow Powfoot member Iain Thomson by 5 and 4. Two Southerness members, Clark Riddick and Ross Murray, contested the second semi final with Clark emerging the winner by 3 and 2.
In the final, Neil was quick out the blocks after lunch and took an early lead of three up after four holes with 3 birdies. Clark started his fight back with a birdie at the fifth, and continued by winning the eighth and ninth to complete the front nine all square. The tenth and eleventh were sportingly halved before Clark found a difficult lie in a greenside bunker at the twelfth and failed to get up and down. After two good drives at the long thirteenth Neil played a poor chip shot and Clark squared the game. The fourteenth and fifteenth were halved when Neil again showed his short game skills in getting up and down from difficult lies. At the sixteenth Neil found the back of the green with a 7 iron second but Clark pushed his approach into the heather and missed the green with his chip to eventually lose the hole. Neil stood on the seventeenth tee one up and proceeded to hit the middle of the green for Clark to miss the green on the left and leave his chip 10 feet from the hole. Neil two putted and Clark missed for Neil to be the South Match Play Champion for 2013.
All matches were played in a very sporting spirit between friends and were a joy to watch. In the final Neil’s better short game skills were the deciding factor although Clark’s long iron play was most impressive. Neil was pleased to have won his second Match Play title especially having lost narrowly in last year’s final over his home course.
Results:-
Round 1 M McCulloch (Portpatrick) beat C Shearman (Lochmaben) at the 21st; S Wilson (Moffat) lost to I Thomson (Powfoot) by 3 and 2; C Hill (Pines) lost to N Hamilton (Powfoot) at 19th; D McCreadie (Newton Stewart) beat S Whannell (Newton Stewart) by 2 and 1; D McNeill (Powfoot) beat M Grunwell (Powfoot) by 2 and 1; M McNae (Lochmaben) lost to C Riddick (Southerness) by 4 and 3; R McBeth (Pines) beat G King (Kirkcudbright) by 4 and 3; R Murray (Southerness) beat S Kennedy (D&G) by 5 and 3.
Quarter final M McCulloch lost to I Thomson by 3 and 2; N Hamilton beat D McCreadie by 2 and 1; D McNeill lost to C Riddick by 8 and 7; R McBeth lost to R Murray by 3 and 1
Semi Final I Thomson lost to N Hamilton by 5 and 4; C Riddick beat R Murray by 3 and 2.
Final N Hamilton beat C Riddick by 2 and 1