Amateur semi-finalist George Burns wouldn’t change for MacIntyre’s £1m

George Burns may have watched Bob MacIntyre, his old foursomes partner, move into a different golfing stratosphere, but he is two wins away from joining him as a Scottish Amateur champion.

Four years after the Oban left-hander claimed the title at Muirfield, 22-year-old Burns is through to the semi-finals in this week’s event at Crail, where he’s been a member since moving to St Andrews from Glasgow.

“Bob was my foursomes partner for Scotland Under-16s,” revealed Burns, who has been helping run the golf programme at St Andrews University since graduating with a first-class degree in economics.

“We’ve gone in slightly different directions since then. I think he’s won a million quid this season and here I am in the semi-finals of the Scottish Amateur. But I would still not change anything.”

Burns, who came through the junior ranks at Williamwood, booked his place in the last four after coming from two down with eight to play to beat Cupar’s Marcus Rickard by one hole.

“It was a bit of a roller-coaster,” said Burns, who now meets Peebles 19-year-old Darren Howie. “I got off to a good start then had a rocky run before Marcus had a birdie run then I had one as well.”

A past winner of the Boyd Quaich, a leading varsity event at St Andrews, Burns said the wind switching in the middle of the match had been in his favour. “It became the more common wind here and that meant taking some different lines from the tee,” he said.

Howie, the younger brother of Challenge Tour player Craig, was down all the way in his quarter-final against John Paterson (New Golf Club St Andrews) before turning things around over the final four holes.

The 19-year-old birdied the 15th to get back to all square then edged in front when Paterson, a former Scottish Boys’ Stroke-Play champion, missed from four feet at the 17th.

“John, who is also 19, is the oldest person I’ve played,” said Howie, laughing. “I played Aidan O’Hagan, who is 14, in the first round, then Louis Dobbelaar, who is 17.

“I had to ground out my win this afternoon, but it’s great to be through to the last four and my brother Craig, who won the Scottish Boys’ Championship, has been texting me to give me some advice about how to handle a long week like this.”

The other semi-final is between Kilmacolm’s Matt Clark, who ended the run of 2008 winner Callum Macaualay, and Lewis Irvine from Kirkhill.

In a ding-dong battle, Clark lost the first to an eagle but hit back straight away with a birdie, admitting afterwards that he couldn’t afford to let Macaulay, with his experience from a spell in the pro ranks, get away from him.

Clark, a 37-year-old bank manager with TSB, reckoned tiredness was to blame as he conceded both the 11th and 12th after going two up and, after falling behind once more, Macaulay refused to throw in the towel as he rolled in putts at both the 16th and 17th.

Alas, his title tilt was ended by a poor putt from off then green at the last, with Clark the first to admit it had been a pity for the tie against his good friend to end in such a way. “I’m the grandad of the semi-finalists by some way,” he said, smiling.

Irvine feared he was heading out in the third round before earning a reprieve as his opponent, Jeff Wright, made a hash of the last before covering 16 holes in four-under to beat Lachlan Reynolds (Hilton Park).

Admitting he’s been inspired by two of his Kirkhill clubmates, Paul Shields and Craig Ross, getting on to the Challenge Tour in recent years, Irvine is coached by two-time European Tour winner Alastair Forsyth at Mearns Castle Golf Academy.

“I started working with Alastair in November,” he said. “I needed a change and he’s made a big difference.”

Forsyth turned back the clock to record a runway 11-shot win in the PGA Pros Championship at Hunstanton in June, securing a spot in the Great Britain & Ireland PGA Cup team in the process.

“He keeps asking me if I want a game and I keep saying ‘no’ as he still a top player,” said Irvine laughing.

It was no laughing matter for the Lanarkshire youngster when he was unable to even swing a club during the Welsh Youths’ Championship last year, but he’s fit and healthy again.

“I obviously had a weakness in my back, but I worked hard in the gym with Kenny McKenzie at First Tee Fitness in Glasgow over the winter strengthening it,” he said.