Golf: Turnhouse 'top guns' push Bain on for epic comeback

The 17-year-old looked to be in trouble when he left the ninth green three down on Dalmahoy's Callum Cochrane in the title showdown.

But, one by one, Steven Armstrong, Olly McCrone and Lindsay Gordon all appeared to cheer on their young clubmate and duly helped bring out the best in him.

Bain won three holes in a row with birdies to get back on level terms and went on to claim the prestigious Spiers Trophy with a last-green victory.

"It made me play better when I saw all of them out watching me," said the new champion after making it third-time lucky in the event.

A former Turnhouse junior champion, Bain had failed to qualify in his two previous appearances. But, after squeezing past clubmate Connor Black at the 20th in the opening round, the three-handicapper went from strength to strength.

"My grandad, Gordon Bain, said it would be a good achievement if I made to to the semi-finals so I'm delighted," added the former South Queensferry High pupil.

In near-perfect conditions, both players birdied the first before Bain went in front with a 2 at the short second.

A shanked tee shot at the third saw him undo that good work straight away, but he went one up again with a par at the fourth before it was back to all square when Cochrane, a Stewarts Melville pupil, won the sixth with a par-4.

Cochrane, 15, had impressed Lothians officials with his putting touch earlier in the week and this was no exception. That said, it was down to three successive three putts that he won the seventh, eighth and ninth to be three up at the turn.

Bain's fightback was sparked by a splendid approach to set up a birdie at the tenth before he boomed a drive down the 11th that even left with likes of Armstrong and McCrone gasping in disbelief.

He also won that with a birdie-4, though Cochrane was a touch unlucky there as he was denied a free drop by the referee he should have been given due to his swing being hampered by one of the trees in the area of "abnormal ground" on the left of the fairway.

Both players did get drops from the plantation on the left of the 12th, where Cochrane almost holed a pitch from what looked to be an impossible position through the green only for Bain to roll in an 18-foot birdie putt up the hill.

After the pair of them made good 3s at the 13th, Cochrane's approach to the next took a bit of a flyer from the right rough and jumped up into a gorse bush behind the green and he lost that to a par.

Bain, who had the bit between his teeth by now, then holed a superb 12-footer for a birdie at the 15th to go two up. only to open the door to his opponent again when he found trouble at the back left of the short 17th.

Cochrane's seven-foot birdie putt at the last, to force extra holes, hit the cup and stayed out and Bain kept his nerve to roll in a four-foot par putt to claim the title.

While admitting he felt disappointed, Cochrane had given a great account of himself over the course of the week and has three more tilts at this title.

"It's only the second time I have played in the event and I was probably an unexpected qualifier," said the five-handicapper, who is coached by Pumpherston pro Richard Fyvie.