Scottish golf round up: Battle Trophy, Helen Holm, SGF and Junior Tour reports

Home comfort for Andrew Davidson in Battle Trophy

Host club member Andrew Davidson won Crail Golfing Society’s Battle Trophy, adding to his victory in the 50th edition of the East of Scotland Open at Lundin in 2023.

Davidson followed an opening 72 with a six-under-par 66 to lead by four shots at the halfway stage before closing with rounds of 71 and 70 to finish with a 279 total.

Host club member Andrew Davidson shows off the Battle Trophy after his win in the Crail Golfing Society event | Contributed

Bathgate’s James Wood, the 2024 Scottish Boys’ champion, finished as his closest challenger, with Schloss Roxburghe’s Jack McDonald, the 2023 winner, ending up two shots further back in third.

"It's good to win such a prestigious trophy as the Battle Trophy on your home course", said Davidson, who is the first player to achieve the feat since Ross Forgan in 2003.

"This is about the eighth occasion I have contested the event and it always attracts one of the best amateur fields of the year, being one of the first big events of the year, so I'm delighted for the win.”

Ireland’s Roisin Scanlon poses with the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open trophy after her impressive win at Royal Troon | Chris Young/Scottish Golf

Ireland’s Roisin Scanlon wins Helen Holm Trophy at Troon

A week after finishing runner up in the Scottish Girls’ Open at Arbroath, Ireland’s Roisin Scanlon enjoyed a first round to remember at Royal Troon as she claimed a five-shot win in the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship.

Scanlon, 17, carded rounds of 72 and 69 on Royal Troon’s Portland Course before signing off with a splendid one-under-par 71 on the Old Course at the Ayrshire venue to finish well clear of England’s Jess Hall.

“I was nervous and it was due to the fact that the last round is on a different golf course,” she admitted after joining Martina Gillen (2005), Leona Maguire (2008), Danielle McVeigh (2009) and Olivia Mehaffey (2015) as Irish winners of the prestigious event.

“This is my first time playing this event and it’s really special that we’re even allowed out here and we get to play. We’re very privileged."

Scanlon also finished third in the Scottish Girls’ Open just a few miles up the coast from Troon at Irvine as a 14-year-old in 2022.

North Berwick’s Grace Crawford, the 2022 winner, and Abigail May (St Regulus) Ladies) shared the honour as leading Scots, finishing joint-sixth on four over.

Baberton’s Luca Smith with the SGF Classic trophy after his win at Goswick Links in Northumberland | Contributed

Goswick glory for Luca Smith and Sabrina Wong

Baberton’s Luca Smith and Sabrina Wong (Cathkin Braes) were the trophy winners in the Stephen Gallacher Foundation Classic at Goswick Links.

In testing conditions at the Northumberland course, Smith bookended the 72-hole boys’ event with rounds of 67 and 71 to win by eight shots with a one-under-par total.

Wong, meanwhile, underlined her star potential by landing a 13-shot success in the girls’ event over 54 holes, having opened with rounds of 75-74 before signing off with an 81.

The events counted towards a new Stephen Gallacher Foundation World Amateur Golf Ranking Order of Merit, with the winners of separate boys’ and girls’ points list securing support for 2026 events.

The next counting tournament is The Foundation Trophy at Blairgowrie on 4-6 May.

Inverness player Summer Elliot won the Junior Tour Scotland season-opener at Tain and Royal Dornoch | Contributed

Summer Elliot off to flyer on 2025 Junior Tour Scotland

Summer Elliot (Inverness) produced a strong start to the new Junior Tour Scotland season in the Highlands.

Held at Tain and Royal Dornoch, the Scottish Girls’ international carded polished efforts of 74-76-75 to win by an impressive nine shots.

Carly McDonald (St Regulus Ladies) finished joint-second with Ireland’s Gemma McMeekin, while Royal Troon’s Jodie Graham was a further shot back.

The boys’ event was won by Belgium’s Jules De Langhe, who carded efforts of 7068-73 to pip Aberdour’s Nathan Tait by two shots.

The second event of the new campaign takes place at Portpartick this weekend.