Golf: Dalmahoy youngster digs in to progress

MATCH-PLAY specialist 
Callum Cochrane survived a scare to book his place in the last 32 of the Scottish Boys’ Championship at Monfieth.

Last year’s Lothians under-18 champion was two down at the turn in the third round and looked to be heading for the exit door.

The Dalmahoy youngster dug in over the back nine of the 
Angus course, however, to 
chisel out a last-green win over Insch player Niall Young.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I had a bit of a nightmare on the front nine, where I was hitting a lot of shots to the left,” said Cochrane.

“But I came back in a couple under to turn the match around.”

Cochrane won the 11th and 12th, both with pars, to level the match before getting his nose in front for the first time at the 14th.

The 17-year-old then lost the 15th to a par before holing a 
20-foot birdie putt for a half at the next.

All square on the 18th tee, Cochrane clinched his win with a two-putt birdie after his 
opponent was unable to get up in two.

“I don’t want to go through that again – it was scary,” said Cochrane’s dad, Gordon, as he heaved a huge sigh of relief.

The player himself admitted: “It was a bit nervy – but I came through it and that’s the important thing.”

Cochrane has carved out a useful match-play reputation in recent years, having reached the final of the Lothians Boys two years ago at the Braids 
before going one better last summer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I enjoy the freedom of it,” admitted the Stewart’s Melville pupil, who now meets Nairn’s Andrew Burgess.

The winner of that is likely to face top seed Ewan Scott in the last 16 but Cochrane is taking it one match at a time.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself so will just take things as they come,” he said, admitting it was a bonus to have his dad supporting him this week.

That’s because he works in the Caribbean – for the Bank of St Lucia. “He’s back specifically for this week and it’s good to have his support,” admitted Cochrane.

He was joined in the fourth round by two Tantallon players, Lewis Reid and Calum Hill, as well as Murrayfield’s Alastair Thurlow.

Reid, who has just turned 15, lives on the outskirts of Glasgow but has travelled through to North Berwick to play almost every week for the last seven years.

“I played at The Glen at first before joining Tantallon,” he said after staging a grandstand finish to beat Dalmahoy’s 
Murray Naysmith in an 
all-Lothians clash.

One down with three to play, Reid finished birdie-birdie-par to claim a notable scalp.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I knew I’d have to play well to beat Murray as we were partners in the Quads in Wales last year,” he said after hitting 
approaches close at both the 16th and 17th.

On the long journeys to East Lothian from his home in Milngavie, the four-handicapper said: “North Berwick is a great course and the Tantallon club has a wonderful junior convenor in Rick Fullner.”

Hill, a semi-finalist at 
Dunbar two years ago and seeded this time around, also staged a late fightback to keep his hopes alive.

Two down at the turn, he was still trailing to Crow Wood’s Kieran Stark with one to play but won the last with a birdie 4 before squeezing through at the 20th.

It was the second time in three matches that Hill had been taken to extra holes but the 17-year-old said he’d been unfazed.

“I’ve been hitting a 2-iron off the first tee all week and ripped it again,” he said.

Thurlow stormed to a 9 and 8 morning win, equalling the biggest victory of the week so far.

The Capital kid then joined the three other Lothians players left in the title race with a 3 and 2 success over Balmore’s Cameron Bennie in the fading light.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Fraser Christie’s hopes of setting up a last-32 clash 
today with title favourite Scott were dashed as the Craigmillar Park youngster lost in the third round.

Aaron McManus of Longniddry also bowed out at the same stage, as did Liberton’s Daniel Eardley, who lost on the last to South African-born 
Keagan Thomas.

Related topics: