Golf: Scott's Scots on brink of Euro glory

Published on Saturday 4 July 2009 11:20

KINGSKNOWE'S Scott Knowles was today on the brink of an incredible start to his reign as Scotland captain, having steered the country's top amateurs into the final of the European Team Championship.

In his first event in charge of the side since succeeding George Crawford, Knowles has got the best out of his players at Conwy, the Scots reaching today's final with a 4-2 semi-final win over Italy.

"A fantastic performance and result," said Knowles, who watched Wallace Booth and Michael Stewart join forces to earn the Scots a 1-1 draw in the morning foursomes.

In the singles, Gavin Dear was three up after seven but found himself all square playing the last after his opponent birdied the 15th and the Scot conceded the 17th.

At the 18th, both players were about 40 feet away in two only for the Italian to miss from three feet to give Dear a vital win.

Booth won 4 and 3 with flawless golf, being four-under at the end, while Stewart had a titanic battle with his opponent before winning 2 and 1. That match was all square with three to go but the Italian made mistakes with his tee shots at both the 16th and 17th.

"We are going into the final in an excellent frame of mind and look forward to the challenge against England," added Knowles.

"Everyone in the team is playing excellent golf and getting better with each game."