Scottish champion Oliver Mukherjee rounds off strong performance in Lytham Trophy

Scottish champion Oliver Mukherjee gave himself a chance of nudging into Walker Cup contention by finishing in the top ten in the 57th Lytham Trophy.

Oliver Mukherjee, pictured playing in the the Telegraph Junior Golf Championship at Quinta do Lago Golf Club in Portugal last November, finished as the top Scot in the Lytham Trophy. Picture: Luke Walker/Getty Images.

Florida-based English teenager Frank Kennedy, one of the 19 players named in the initial Great Britain & Ireland squad, is now looking a certainty for the biennial match against the US at St Andrews in September.

It follows the 17-year-old securing an impressive victory at The Open venue in Lancashire with rounds of 70-68-68-72 for a two-under-par total, finishing two shots ahead of Welshman James Ashfield and Spaniard Luis Masaveu.

After opening with a 69 on Friday, Mukherjee dented his hopes of becoming the first Scot to land the coveted prize since Lloyd Saltman pulled off the feat in 2007 with a second-round 74 the following day.

The Gullane member then bogeyed the second and third holes in the third round on Sunday morning before picking up birdies at the fifth, tenth and 18th as he signed for a 69.

In the final round, Mukherjee dropped a shot at the par-3 first, seventh and eighth before carding birdies at the par-3 ninth and par-4 16th to sign off with a 71, finishing sixth.

California-based Scot Niall Shiels Donegan closed with a 71 to end up in a tie for 22nd alongside Forres player Matthew Wilson (76) on 12-over, with Gregor Tait (72) ending up one shot further back.

In his final circuit, Shiels Donegan, who only saw the course for the first time on Tuesday, ran up a triple-bogey 7 at the third then dropped a shot at the sixth before covering the final ten holes in three-under with birdies at ninth, 12th and 18th.

George Cannon, a Stirling student who is a member of Glenbervie, had been the leading Scot after opening with rounds of 70-73, but the Glenbervie member dropped back following a third-round 83 before closing with a 75 to end up joint-37th.

Blairgowrie teenager Connor Graham, last year’s runner-up, suffered a disappointing missed cut on this occasion, as did his older brother, Gregor, and also Battle Trophy winner Jack McDonald.

Elsewhere, German Antoina Steiner beat Annika Kohoutek from the Czech Republic in a play-off to win The R&A Girls’ Under-16 Championship at Enville. The pair had tied after 54 holes on two-over-par.