Professional golfer Jim Furyk, who will be playing in the Open Championship this week, presented the winners’ trophy after the annual fixture between SALJGA and Wentworth juniors which was played on The Castle Course on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July. Although Wentworth took the honours 3 points to 1, the result was in doubt until the final hole with Michael Clark and Blair Morrison needing to win the last to halve the match.
SALJGA were represented by the pairings of captain Ben Kinsleyand Ruairidh Robertson, Callum Graham and Rachel Hanlon, Ally McDougall and Murray Watson, and Michael Clark and Blair Morrison. The match was played as a 4 ball better ball team event with no handicap allowance.
Wentworth were able to field their strongest team with an average handicap of less than 3 whereas SALJGA had an average handicap of over 6. 'The entire SALJGA team played above themselves and should be proud of their golf which resulted in a match that was a very tight affair' said Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator. 'The conditions were brutal with an extremely strong wind which threatened the match itself when balls refused to stop moving on the green and we had to put weights in Ally’s pockets to stop him being blown away. Ben and Ruairidh gave SALJGA an excellent start when they secured a 2 and 1 win against Wentworth’s first couple. Unfortunately, our next two couples couldn’t build upon this start and both lost. Callum and Rachel’s match was very close until the latter stages when the Wentworth pair pulled ahead and ran out winners by 3 and 2. Ally and Murray fought hard but were always behind and were unable to make inroads against a very steady pairing and ended up losing on the fourteenth.
'It all rested on the final game which was all square on the eighteenth tee but required SALJGA to win to square the match. Although both Michael and Blair appeared to hit excellent drives into the teeth of a ‘perfect storm’, they both had difficult lies that prevented them from attacking with their second shots. Although one of the Wentworth boys was in trouble off the tee the other hit three excellent shots which left him putting for a birdie thereby denying SALJGA the opportunity to win the hole.'
'Although the match was lost, the opportunity to play against the boys from Wentworth was invaluable for SALJGA’s promising young players and we look forward to the return fixture at Wentworth next year with renewed enthusiasm.
It was an added bonus and a great inspiration to the kids to have Jim Furyk present the trophy.'