Age bracket lowered for new Scottish Mid-Amateur events at Alyth and Monifieth

Organisers of the two new Scottish Mid-Amateur Championships taking place this year have tweaked the eligibility criteria.

The decision to drop the age bracket for The McAlpine and The Hutcheon from over 30 to 25 and over is purely down to trying to maintain consistency in the mid-amateur ranks.

Events such the European Mid-Amateur Championships, the US Mid-Amateur and Irish Mid-Amateur are all 25 and over, leading Connor Neil and Allyn Dick to have a rethink about the exciting new Scottish tournaments.

Kevin McAlpine pictured caddying for fellow Scot Martin Laird on the PGA Tour | Getty Images

“Alongside some valuable advice, Allyn and I have made the decision to align our events with the same minimum age requirement,” Neil told The Scotsman.

“To ensure consistency and to support potential future opportunities within the Scottish Mid-Amateur golf community, all entrants must now be 25 years of age or older on or before the first day of each event.”

The Hutcheon, which has been named in honour of Ian Hutcheon, will be played at Monifieth Golf Links on 4-7 August, starting with stroke-play qualifying but then becoming what will effectively be the Scottish Mid-Amateur Match-Play Championship.

The McAlpine, meanwhile, will take place over 54 holes of stroke-play at Alyth on 23-24 June and that has been named in memory of Kevin McAlpine, the former Scottish Amateur champion who sadly passed away at the age of 39 in October 2023.

The two events have been ratified by The R&A and will carry World Amateur Golf Ranking points.

The winner of The McAlpine, which is being sponsored by Mizuno Golf Europe, will win vouchers worth £600 while backing from Shot Scope will see the runner up and third place pick up vouchers for £450 and £300 respectively.

“Allyn and I are really passionate about creating chances for working amateur golfers - men and women - who still want to compete at a high level,” added Neil. “Too many top tournaments have vanished from the Scottish amateur scene, and that’s something we’re trying to change.

“We’ve already got venues lined up for 2026 and 2027, so we’re in this for the long run. We’d love to hear from any businesses out there who’d be keen to get involved through sponsorship and to help grow and sustain these opportunities.”

Entries for The McAlpine close at midday on 2 June.