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Scotland Round-up: Porter claims glory at Dunbar

Scotland Round-up: Porter claims glory at Dunbar

Our round-up of the latest club news from Scotland
 

Carnoustie’s Will Porter defied worsening weather conditions to win the Scottish Boys Championship at Dunbar.

Come the end of a demanding day that offered a mix of strong winds, hail storms and bright sunshine, Porter defeated Ross Callan of Bathgate 4&3 in the 36-hole final at the Open qualifying venue.

Porter, 17, joins a winners’ list that includes Andrew Coltart, Scott Henry and David Law. He said: “The weather reminded me of last year’s British Boys at Prestwick and Dundonald, with the strong wind and no rain, really. I think I learnt from that experience and used it today. You have to make your score on the first nine at Dunbar and then hold on.”

In securing the victory, Porter became the first Carnoustie player to win the title since Steven Brown in 2001 and he added: “

I played in this event for the first time last year and lost in the first round so I’m over the moon. It’s cool to be on the winner’s list with some good names. I’ve looked at what Ewen and Bradley, the past two Scottish Boys winners have since achieved, and that can only give me confidence.”

A field of 246 players began the week, with Porter knocking out top seed Calum Fyfe at the quarter-final stage.
‘I was actually at Asda last night getting underwear as I didn’t expect to get this far’ The final was contested between Porter and Ross Callan, from Bathgate. Both are members of the Scottish Golf Academy that has nurtured talents like Bradley Neil and Ewen Ferguson.

Porter has also quickly built on his success in the recent SGU Junior Tour Under-18 event at Longniddry where he was joint-winner.

For Callan, whose father, Stuart, is the Bathgate club professional and played in the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham, there were many positives. Not least the fact the 16-year-old didn’t expect to reach the final, having ousted the likes of Deeside’s Michael Lawrie, son of Open champion Paul, on the way.

“It’s been a great week, and I felt I hit the ball well in the final and my attitude was good,” he said. “But the putts just didn’t drop. I was never ahead, which was obviously a problem.

“I hoped to get the third round this week and I was actually at Asda in Dunbar last night to get new underwear as I didn’t expect to get this far. It was a new experience for me and hopefully it helps my game going forward. I only turned 16 in January so I have another two years to compete in the Scottish Boys. I’ll be back fighting.”

Schools club together at festival

Children from four schools in Queensferry have taken part in a festival of golf as part of the 2014 Ryder Cup legacy.

Hosted by Dundas Parks, more than 200 youngsters attended the event, which saw pupils compete against each other in putting, chipping and full swing competitions.

ClubGolf co-ordinator Jim Cowper said: “We have been doing this for six years and it has proved extremely successful as a recruiting ground for the club.

“The kids coming to classes have great fun, participate in special competitions and have the opportunity to attend our ClubGolf Camp in 2014.”

Defibrillator deal across Scotland

St John Scotland has agreed to gift a life-saving defibrillator device to all Scottish Golf Union and Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association national event venues over the next three years.

A scheme has also been agreed for other neighbouring clubs to attend the training and obtain their own defibrillator from St John Scotland at a 50 per cent discounted rate.

St John Scotland’s Sir Malcolm Ross, said: “Scotland’s golfing community is one of our most vibrant, but the course or the club can feel like a very isolated place to anyone who suffers a heart attack. Defibrillators will save lives and we are very proud to be working with the SGU and SLGA.”

Nominations open for academy

Scotland’s brightest young golfers are being sought for the 2015/16 Academy Programme hosted by Scottish Golf Union and Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association.

Reigning Amateur champion Bradley Neil and 2013 British Boys champion Ewen Fergison are both graduates of the academy programme in recent years.

Nominees must be under 15 years of age and have a handicap of 10 or under for boys or 20 or under for girls.

Nominations close on June 5 2015 and more details can be found at www.scottishgolf.org

Refurbished holes re-open at Cruden Bay

Improvements have been completed at Cruden Bay, with the 9th, 10th and 16th holes enjoying a facelift. The holes are now re-open for play.

Project will help dementia sufferers build links with the past

The Memories Golf Club is heading to Carnoustie to help golfers suffering from dementia to hang on to their memories of the sport.

In a joint venture driven by Alzheimer Scotland, sufferers of dementia will gather at Carnoustie Golf Centre to share stories and past experiences, as well as looking back at old photographs and memorabilia.

Carnoustie head professional Colin Sinclair told The Courier: “We are very much looking forward to assisting in any way we can to enhance the programme. Carnoustie Golf Links has a wonderful heritage and it is key for us to be involved in sharing stories and memories of golf at Carnoustie for people with dementia to hopefully improve their lives in any small way we can.”

Alzheimer’s experts claim recall of tournaments, players and incidents can be vivid and details of tournaments, putts and misses can be triggered by images of players and courses.

A number of players and supporters have helped create memory books for the pilot project, illustrating their own careers and experiences.

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