Michael Stewart, talk o' the Troon

After recovering from being down early on, Stewart was in front from the seventh hole onwards and held off a spirited fightback from his 22-year-old opponent at the start of the afternoon to emulate European Tour player Steven O'Hara, who also lifted this title two years after tasting success in the Scottish Boys' Championship.

Ayrshire enjoyed a purple patch in the SGU's flagship event when Colin Montgomerie, Jim Milligan and Allan Thomson - the latter was out watching yesterday's match in his capacity as a Scotland selector - lifted the title three years in a row from 1987-89, but since then their only success had come in 1994, when Hugh McKibbin won at Renfrew.

Stewart ended that drought, completing the same double as his predecessor, though Hazlehead's David Law achieved the feat in the same year, with an exceptional display, which was even more impressive considering he'd arrived in East Lothian at the start of the week having just been diagnosed with shingles.

"I'm feeling pretty good right now," said the new champion. "Jordan kept piling the pressure on and I was fortunate to capitalise on some good breaks."

Findlay, whose run to the final has earned him a first full Scotland cap in the forthcoming Home Internationals, admitted: "That's the best I've ever played from tee to green but, unfortunately, Michael was good as well."

In tougher conditions than the previous day, when the pair had been a combined 13-under-par in winning their semi-finals, Findlay got off to the better start but, after missing a decent chance to go two up after five, the former British Boys' champion lost the next when he three-putted from around 12 feet. His drive at the downhill seventh trickled into a bunker, leaving him with one foot in the trap and one foot out of it for his second, and Stewart also won that with a par-4. At the eighth, where Donald Steel has done a splendid job with the introduction of a new green that has transformed the par-4 from a soft touch to a tough test, even for the best, at 471 yards off the blue tees, Findlay almost holed a 60-footer for birdie before Stewart gave some more examples of his majestic short game around the turn.After missing the ninth green left, he chipped to ten feet and holed it for a half before displaying a lovely long-range touch as well in two-putting the tenth, where a par proved good enough after Findlay found a greenside bunker.

Stewart's first birdie of the day, courtesy of a lovely approach to the 11th, increased his lead further and he went four up with another one at the long 15th. Findlay needed something special to happen - and quickly. It almost did when his approach to the 17th hit the flag, but the joy of winning that with a birdie soon evaporated as Stewart rolled in a 20-footer for a 3 at the last to be round in three-under 68 and, more importantly, four up at lunch.

It had become a contest again, though, after just four holes of the afternoon round. Findlay, who is coached by Bob Torrance, hit a majestic knocked down 4-iron into the wind to 12 feet behind the pin for a birdie at the 20th before also winning the next, where, despite a search by around 100 spectators and five others being found, Stewart lost a ball after pushing his second into the right rough.

The next eight holes were all halved in pars before Findlay's first dropped shot in 20 holes at the 29th, where he missed the green, saw Stewart go three up with seven to play. The Ayrshireman was back to four up after hitting his second to eight feet an eagle-3 at the 12th, but Findlay hit back by plumping his tee shot at the next to four feet and won that with a birdie.

Helped by his opponent finding trouble off the tee and then sand with his third, the 22-year-old North-East man also won the 33rd with a birdie to get back to two down once more but Stewart clinched victory in style at the next, knocking a 7-iron 188 yards to eight feet and holing the putt for a title-winning 2. That made him four-under for the day and more than 30-under for the week.