Golf: Scots boys gear up for Monifieth debut

Starting today, it plays host for the first time to the Scottish Boys’ Championship, the Angus course becoming just the seventh venue to stage the domestic season’s traditional curtain-raiser after North Berwick, Dunbar, West Kilbride, Southerness, Murcar Links and Royal Aberdeen.

Four Scottish Boys’ Stroke-Play Championships have been played at Monfieth over the past 30 years, including 1992, when the event was won by a certain Stephen Gallacher for the second year in a row. More recently, in 2010, it also staged the Scottish Youths’ Championship, which was won by German internationalist Max Waltz, a Loretto School pupil at the time.

At least a home winner is guaranteed this week. It’s a ‘closed’ event, though, as always, youngsters with Scottish blood have travelled from far afield to try and emulate illustrious past winners like Ronnie Shade (1956), Andrew Coltart (1987) and Scott Henry (2004 and 2005). Keegan Thomas, for instance, has come all the way from South Africa, a journey that a youngster called Tom Watson was also due to make, though he has now pulled out.

A French-based player, Issac Alexander, is also in the field, as are Ciaran Smyth, who plays his golf at The Island outside Dublin, and Marcus Mollison, a member of Copt Heath, home club of Peter McEvoy, the former Amateur champion and successful Walker Cup captain.

“We’re delighted to be hosting this very prestigious tournament,” said Bill Miller, chairman of Monifieth Golf Links. “Indeed, I hope this is a precursor to Monifieth going on the Scottish Boys’ rota regularly.”

Its condition has been verified by Paul Lawrie. “The course was in good shape for this time of the year,” reported the man who won the 1999 Open on the same stretch of the Angus coastline of a visit last week with his oldest son, Craig. He’s in the field for the third and final time while his brother, 14-year-old Michael, is getting his second taste of the event.

Disappointingly – it might even be a first for a tournament that was inaugurated in 1935 – the event failed to attract a full entry of 256 players. Whereas a ballot has traditionally been required to whittle the entry down, it fell one short on this occasion. As a result, the top seed, Ewan Scott, from St Andrews, has been handed a bye into the second round, where last year’s beaten finalist will launch his bid to go one better against either Calum Morrison (Inverurie) or Thomas Cameron (Fraserburgh).

A worthy favourite, Scott’s biggest problem could be adjusting to the unseasonal cold conditions. He’s spent the winter in warm climes, mainly in the southern hemisphere, where he won a gold medal with Team GB at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival then reached the semi-finals of the South African Amateur Championship. In a more recent trip to China, the 17-year-old also won his section at the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.

“I’m playing good golf and feel confident enough,” said Scott, who won the Scottish Youths’ Championship at Ladybank last summer and will earn a place in the record books if he can achieve the double in reverse order, so to speak. “I’m going to Monifieth to win, but its matchplay – you can play well and lose or play badly and win.”

Second seed in the event’s 72nd staging – the field is made up of players from more than 130 different clubs – is Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil, who lost to Scott in the quarter-finals at Murcar 12 months ago and has his sights set on a re-match, this time in the 36-hole title shootout on Saturday. Neil’s long-term goal is next year’s Junior Ryder Cup, which is being played on his home course. Winning this week would provide the perfect springboard. “There is a friendly rivalry between us,” he added. “We’ve got a good friendship off the course, we have a laugh about the golf, but it’s about winning on the course and the Scottish Boys is a big event.”

With Borderer Craig Howie too old to defend his title, the other seeds are Calum Hill (Tantallon), George Burns (Williamwood), Alan Waugh (Cowglen), Connor Syme (Dumfries & County), Ewan Ferguson (Bearsden) and Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten).

Along with just about every other youngster in the field, they’ll all be dreaming of turning professional one day, but in the event’s first visit to Monifieth it should be hoped that Hutcheon’s glittering amateur career – he held the Scottish Amateur and Stroke-Play titles at the same time in 1974 and also played in four Walker Cups – should be a reminder that players don’t necessarily have to join the paid ranks to attain fulfilment in golf.

SIX TO WATCH

Ewan Scott

The Scottish Youths champion lost in last year’s final and feels his game has improved since then under the watchful eye of coach Steve North.

Bradley Neil

Helped Perthshire win the men’s Area Team Championship last year and certainly has the confidence to chalk up a more notable individual success.

Craig Lawrie

The 1999 Open champion’s oldest son has been working his socks off ahead of his final tilt at this title and finished third in last week’s NE Alliance Championship.

Callum Hill

The Tantallon teenager was a semi-finalist at Dunbar two years ago and, under coach Alan Murdoch, has come on leaps and bounds since then.

Connor Syme

The son of Dumfries & County pro Stuart, he also made his presence felt two years ago and is the reigning Scottish Schools’ champion.

Ben Craggs

Another youngster who has benefitted from heaps of good advice as his dad, Kevin, is the SLGA’s national coach and also works with Catriona Matthew.