Martin Dempster: Wrong to be short-sighted over Scottish Boys' Open field

Some of my best memories in golf have been associated with the Scottish Boys’ Championship. From first coming across Andrew Coltart when he landed the title in 1987 to seeing the likes of Scott Henry, David Law, Grant Forrest, Craig Howie, Bradley Neil and Ewen Ferguson all follow in his footsteps, it delivered in so many different aspects on every single occasion.

Held in April at the time, the weather could be bloody awful at Dunbar, West Kilbride, Murcar Links, Royal Aberdeen, Southerness or Monifieth, but that was part of the attraction of the event and one dreadful hole in match-play doesn’t necessarily prove as costly as it might in a stroke-play format.

Along with lots of others, I was horrified when Scottish Golf took a decision in 2017 to move the tournament to a summer slot, switching it with the Scottish Boys’ Stroke-Play Championship, which is now called the Scottish Boys’ Open.

It just didn’t seem right that the match-play event no longer signalled the start of the domestic season and, with all due respect to those who have prevailed since the change, it doesn’t appear to carry the same excitement or interest in July.

California-based Niall Shiels Donegan, pictured in action in last year's Scottish Boys' Championship, is in the field for next month's Scottish Boys' Open at Murcar Links. Picture: Scottish Golf.

What I am now prepared to acknowledge, though, is that the Scottish Boys’ Open in its current slot has been elevated considerably, with the 2022 edition at Murcar Links in just a fortnight’s time having attracted both a record entry and record low ballot.

A total of 217 entries were received by Scottish Golf, seeing the handicap cut-off for 144 spots falling at 1.0. That has meant close to 50 Scottish hopefuls missing out, but let’s not be short-sighted here.

In addition to the cream of the under-18 crop in the UK and Ireland, the event will feature talented teenagers from Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.

Scotland’s best young players, including Connor Graham, Niall Shiels Donegan, Cormac Sharpe, Daniel Bullen and the three Mukherjees - Cameron, Oliver and Samuel - will be testing themselves against other potential stars of the future on one of the top links courses in the country and that really is a mouth-watering prospect.

At the same time, exactly the same thing will be happening in the Scottish Girls’ Open at Irvine and then once in the Scottish Women’s Open and Scottish Men’s Open at Troon and Cruden Bay respectively later in the year.

Yes, of course, the Scottish youngsters missing out on playing at Murcar Links will be disappointed, but they’ll get their shine to shine in the match-play, which is a ‘closed’ event.

They’ll also get loads of other exciting opportunities over the coming months. The Scottish Junior Tour, for example, has a brilliant 2022 schedule, starting at Royal Dornoch next month then visiting Kilspindie, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Forfar, Rowallan Castle, Nairn Dunbar, Southerness, Newmachar, Brora and Murcar Links before concluding with a final on the Jubilee Course in St Andrews.

Add in other top-class events being held at top-class courses by the Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and Barrie Douglas Foundations and everyone is being catered for in a way that all the young tartan talent out there can blossom.

Let’s focus on the wider picture regarding that event at Murcar Links and what can be gained from it for the likes of Graham and Shiels Donegan.

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