Scottish Amateur: George Burns bids to become the first golfer in 38 years to retain title

Crail’s George Burns will be bidding to become the first player for 38 years to win back-to-back Scottish Amateur titles when this year’s championship gets underway at Murcar Links and Portlethen on Tuesday.

George Burns won the Scottish Amateur title on home soil at Crail in 2019. Picture: Scottish Golf

Burns beat Kirkhill’s Lewis Irvine on the 19th hole of the 2019 final at his home club and, after the 2020 championship was cancelled because of Covid-19, is now looking to become the first player to successfully defend the title since the legendary Charlie Green in 1983.

The Fifer has a formidable task on his hands because the championship has attracted virtually all of Scotland’s top men’s amateur golfers.

Irvine returns to see if he can go one better than two years ago while 2016 champion George Duncan, from Windyhill, is also in the field. There is an almost full complement of players from Scottish Golf’s Men’s Performance Programme while the younger brigade is headed by new national Boys’ champion Archie Finnie (Royal Burgess Golfing Society) and runner-up Ross Laird (Glenbervie) who met in the final of last week’s Scottish Boys’ Championship at Bruntsfield Links.

Teenager Calum Scott from Nairn is also in the field following a fine second place finish alongside Italy’s Riccardo Fantinelli at this week’s English Boys’ Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Bristol & Clifton.

The championship begins with a 36-hole stroke play qualifier on Tuesday and Wednesday July. All competitors play one qualifying round at each venue with the leading 64 qualifiers progressing to the match play stage at Murcar Links on Thursday.

Murcar Links and Portlethen are hosting the Scottish Men’s Amateur for the first time.