Martin Dempster: No crime that Euan McIntosh can turn pro again

It might not be ideal to have a 49-year-old as your national champion, but that's not Euan McIntosh's fault. The Turnhouse man claimed the title on merit at Blairgowrie at the weekend.

Euan McIntosh claimed Blairgowrie title on merit. Picture: Getty.

The notable success has come second time around for McIntosh, who had a spell in the professional ranks before being reinstated as an amateur. The fact he is set to give it another go as a professional in the over-50s game has raised the odd eyebrow, but, in fairness, he stated that intention a couple of years ago.

He has used his spell back in the amateur game to get himself ready for a crack at the Champions Tour in the US and there’s no crime in that. Looking at it from a different perspective, it’s to be hoped that playing with McIntosh over the past two or three years can have a positive effect on the likes of 18-year-old Jamie Stewart, the player he beat in the final at the weekend.

There can be no denying the fact that the Scottish amateur game is quite weak at the moment, a situation that has been partly brought about by a number of the leading lights over the past few years turning professional around the same time. Performances across the board in the recent European Team Championships gave the new Scottish Golf CEO, Andrew McKinlay, very little to shout about, but let’s give McIntosh, a classy golfer, the credit he deserves.