Scottish Boys Golf Championship: Six of the best from day five

Win

All four quarter-final winners produced comebacks, with Craig Howie, Connar Cook and Ewan Scott all repairing early damage before their matches reached the closing few holes. By contrast, Cowglen’s Alan Waugh was two down with four to play against Lewis Bain of Turnhouse in the bottom tie but turned it around by winning three holes in a row, sparking his recovery with a peach of a birdie-3 at the 15th.

Shot

While Ewan Scott’s pitch from the side of the green wasn’t one of his best, the ten-foot putt he then holed for a par was crucial as his last-eight opponent, Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil, then missed from five feet to take that encounter down the 19th. Asked about the fist pump that greeted the putting dropping, the St Andrean said: “It was the most important one I holed all day!”

Quote

“I didn’t sleep well last night - my dad kept getting texts and they woke me up every time as they arrive to the stupid sounds of a JCB reversing,” - Peebles player Craig Howie on his far from ideal preparation for another long day out on the links.

Forward planning

Howie gets the nod again for his decision to join Craigielaw in East Lothian to give him links practice for these sort of tests as well as the parkland golf gets at Peebles. Fellow Borderer Simon Fairburn, who plays at Torwoodlee, blazed that trail a few years back and it helped him secure a medal in the Scottish Youths’ Championship at Monifieth two years ago.

Golf bag

It should have come as no surprise that Jake Scott, one of the most colourful characters on the Scottish junior scene, doesn’t have a torn and tatty bag. The shiny black Puma possession sitting outside the clubhouse could only belong to one man. It’s just a pity that the cold and often wet weather during the week prevented Scott from showing off his colourful to full effect due to the fact he had to conceal his gear with waterproofs.

Acknowledgement

Despite being bitterly disappointed to bow out in the quarter-finals, Bradley Neil made a point of making a bee-line for members of the Fourth Estate in the clubhouse to shake their hands and thank them for the widespread coverage of the season-opening event. It was a nice touch from the youngster and, though he left empty-handed on this occasion, Neil has two more cracks at the title and it would be a surprise, to say the least, if he didn’t add his name to the roll of honour.