Latest news with #ScottishOpenAmateurStrokeplayChampionship
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Genesis Scottish Open: Five to watch at the Renaissance
One of the tour's most popular figures, a Fleetwood success in Scotland would be greeted with grand acclaim. The Southport man narrowly missed out on a maiden PGA Tour win at the Travelers Championship recently after a gut-wrenching loss to Keegan Bradley. It was his 42nd top-10 finish on the PGA circuit as a breakthrough on US soil continued to elude him A winner of the Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Murcar Links back in 2009, Fleetwood has pieced together an impressive body of work in the Genesis Scottish Open. The 34-year-old was beaten in a play-off by his compatriot, Aaron Rai, in 2020 while a share of fourth in 2022 and a tie for sixth the following year underlined his fondness for the Renaissance examination. Calum Hill (Scotland) A sixth Genesis Scottish Open appearance beckons for a player who has certainly experienced the ups-and-downs in recent seasons. Not long after a maiden DP World Tour win in the Cazoo Classic back in 2021, Hill's progress was derailed by an insect bite later that season. A seemingly minor nibble ended up causing him considerable distress, while befuddling medical experts, and he had to write off over 12 months of his burgeoning career. The 30-year-old completed his recovery earlier this season, however, when he claimed his second tour title at the Joburg Open. A few topsy-turvy weeks followed that success, but the Kirkcaldy-born golfer thrust himself into the mix again with a third-place finish in the recent Italian Open. Min Woo Lee (Australia) In a field peppered with global stars back in 2021, it was the world No 240 Lee who came up trumps at the Renaissance. His play-off victory over Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry on a storm-disrupted final day ensured he became the first Aussie to win the Scottish Open since Wayne Riley in 1995. Since then, Lee has captured his first title in America with victory at the PGA Tour's Houston Open earlier this season. Missed cuts in both the US PGA and the US Open were a bit of a scunner but a course record-equalling 63 during the recent Rocket Classic hinted at a return to form. Lee will also be spurred on by some sibling rivalry. His sister, Minjee, won her third women's major title a couple of weeks ago. Padraig Harrington (Ireland) As a golden oldie, Harrington continues to savour the silver linings. Last weekend, the indefatigable Irishman won the US Senior Open for the second time as he added another major to his shimmering collection. The 53-year-old, who won two Opens and a US PGA Championship during a tremendous purple patch in 2007 and 2008, remains a tireless competitor. Harrington, who also shared second in the US Senior PGA Championship earlier this season, was fourth in the Genesis Scottish Open back in 2017, and ninth in 2020. The former European Ryder Cup captain was also well in the thick of it at the halfway stage of the 2023 championship. A lover of the links, Harrington knows his way around the Renaissance. He is, after all, an official player consultant and works in tandem with the course designer, Tom Doak. Ryan Fox (New Zealand) A winner on Scottish soil in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship of 2022, Fox continues to underline his qualities as a golfer for every occasion. A four-time winner on the DP World Tour, the Kiwi made his mark on American soil this season with a brace of rapid-fire wins. At the Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic in May, he chipped in from around 50-feet on the first play-off hole to beat Mackenzie Hughes and Harry Higgs. A month later, he birdied the fourth play-off hole to pip Sam Burns to the RBC Canadian Open. A past winner of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Fox, the son of the legendary rugby All Black, Grant, has been a regular fixture at the Scottish Open since 2017. He shared fourth on his debut and was tied sixth the following year.
The National
05-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
Ross Laird relishing team tussle against in Palmer Cup
The barman at the Congaree Club, the host venue for the Ryder Cup-style tussle between US college students and their International counterparts, may have his knowledge of beverages tested, however, should Scotsman Ross Laird ask him to rustle up a 'John Panton'. Laird, the Stirling University student, is a member at Glenbervie, the Larbert club where the celebrated, decorated Panton served as club professional for 40 years. In that time, a few of his eponymous libations made up of ginger beer, lime and Angostura bitters were served up too. Whatever drinks are doing the rounds this week, Laird will be hoping he's raising a glass to an International team success. The 21-year-old played in last weekend's Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship at North Berwick before hopping on a transatlantic flight on Monday to join up with his team-mates in the US. It's been quite the whirlwind but should be worth it. 'It's the opportunity of a lifetime,' said Laird of an event which has featured college standouts like Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Luke Donald and Francesco Molinari down the seasons. Interestingly, Laird is the only member of the International team not studying in the US. He did have a brief stint at Cal Poly in California as a teenager but a return to the home comforts of Stirling University has suited him down to a tee. 'I went to California for a semester, but it wasn't for me at the time,' he reflected. 'It wasn't run the way I thought it would be. I had a few friends who were at Stirling at the time. 'One of them, George Cannon, was playing the best golf of his life and he said how good it was. If it was working for him, I thought it could work for me. And it has.' Stirling University, of course, has become the place to be for those wanting to pursue a golf scholarship on this side of the pond. Catriona Matthew and Richie Ramsay both graduated from there, as did The Herald's former golf correspondent, John Huggan. Quite a triumvirate, eh? These days, the golf programme is run by Dean Robertson, the current captain of the GB&I Walker Cup team. Since starting in his role as head of golf back in 2010, the popular Paisley man has been such a success, he'll probably get immortalised in a monument on the Abbey Craig. The experience, expertise and sage counsel that Robertson offers continues to stand Laird in good stead. 'Dean has played a big part in my development,' said finance student Laird, who won the British Universities and College Sport order of merit last season. 'He's very understanding, very knowledgeable and just a great guy to go to about anything. 'My game as a whole has improved. Dean has helped me review the stats, what's working, what's not and focus on the areas that I need to improve in. "Golf is always a work in progress. That's what I love about it. The constant search for improvement.' While Robertson's nurturing continues to bear fruit, the emergence of Robert MacIntyre on the global stage has given Laird plenty of inspiration too. 'One day, I want that to be me,' added Laird as he aims for the stars. 'He's someone we all want to be; a young man from small town Scotland playing with the best. "It's amazing what he's achieved, and it shows what can be done with talent and hard work.' Laird's own golfing career began at the age of eight when he was bitten by the bug. 'Nobody played golf in my family,' he said. 'I only started as my best friend at school played. 'We both joined Falkirk which had an amazing junior section. We'd start on the nine-hole academy course then work our way up. I'd tried a lot of different sports, but nothing really jumped out at me until I got on the golf course. That was me hooked. "I was out every day. In the summer, we'd be dropped off at the course at 9am and stay there until 8pm at night. We loved it.' Back in 1961, the aforementioned Panton, one of Scotland's greatest golfers of yore, lost to Palmer in the foursomes of the Ryder Cup at Lytham. Perhaps another Glenbervie golfer will have better luck in the Palmer Cup? And raise a 'John Panton' to celebrate?
The Herald Scotland
05-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Ross Laird relishing team tussle against in Palmer Cup
Laird, the Stirling University student, is a member at Glenbervie, the Larbert club where the celebrated, decorated Panton served as club professional for 40 years. In that time, a few of his eponymous libations made up of ginger beer, lime and Angostura bitters were served up too. Whatever drinks are doing the rounds this week, Laird will be hoping he's raising a glass to an International team success. The 21-year-old played in last weekend's Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship at North Berwick before hopping on a transatlantic flight on Monday to join up with his team-mates in the US. It's been quite the whirlwind but should be worth it. 'It's the opportunity of a lifetime,' said Laird of an event which has featured college standouts like Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Luke Donald and Francesco Molinari down the seasons. Interestingly, Laird is the only member of the International team not studying in the US. He did have a brief stint at Cal Poly in California as a teenager but a return to the home comforts of Stirling University has suited him down to a tee. 'I went to California for a semester, but it wasn't for me at the time,' he reflected. 'It wasn't run the way I thought it would be. I had a few friends who were at Stirling at the time. 'One of them, George Cannon, was playing the best golf of his life and he said how good it was. If it was working for him, I thought it could work for me. And it has.' Stirling University, of course, has become the place to be for those wanting to pursue a golf scholarship on this side of the pond. Catriona Matthew and Richie Ramsay both graduated from there, as did The Herald's former golf correspondent, John Huggan. Quite a triumvirate, eh? These days, the golf programme is run by Dean Robertson, the current captain of the GB&I Walker Cup team. Since starting in his role as head of golf back in 2010, the popular Paisley man has been such a success, he'll probably get immortalised in a monument on the Abbey Craig. The experience, expertise and sage counsel that Robertson offers continues to stand Laird in good stead. 'Dean has played a big part in my development,' said finance student Laird, who won the British Universities and College Sport order of merit last season. 'He's very understanding, very knowledgeable and just a great guy to go to about anything. 'My game as a whole has improved. Dean has helped me review the stats, what's working, what's not and focus on the areas that I need to improve in. "Golf is always a work in progress. That's what I love about it. The constant search for improvement.' While Robertson's nurturing continues to bear fruit, the emergence of Robert MacIntyre on the global stage has given Laird plenty of inspiration too. 'One day, I want that to be me,' added Laird as he aims for the stars. 'He's someone we all want to be; a young man from small town Scotland playing with the best. "It's amazing what he's achieved, and it shows what can be done with talent and hard work.' Laird's own golfing career began at the age of eight when he was bitten by the bug. 'Nobody played golf in my family,' he said. 'I only started as my best friend at school played. 'We both joined Falkirk which had an amazing junior section. We'd start on the nine-hole academy course then work our way up. I'd tried a lot of different sports, but nothing really jumped out at me until I got on the golf course. That was me hooked. "I was out every day. In the summer, we'd be dropped off at the course at 9am and stay there until 8pm at night. We loved it.' Back in 1961, the aforementioned Panton, one of Scotland's greatest golfers of yore, lost to Palmer in the foursomes of the Ryder Cup at Lytham. Perhaps another Glenbervie golfer will have better luck in the Palmer Cup? And raise a 'John Panton' to celebrate?
The National
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Scottish Strokeplay Championship returns to North Berwick
Boris Becker, a smash-hit of a 17-year-old from Germany, would become the youngest Wimbledon champion that summer. A couple of weeks before his conquest at the All England Club, Becker romped to his first top-level triumph in the Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club. His win wasn't enough to earn top billing in the sports pages of the Glasgow Herald that June weekend, mind you. Above a report of Becker's barnstorming breakthrough down in West Kensington was the headline act of Colin Montgomerie and his five-shot procession in the Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship at North Berwick and Dunbar. One likes to imagine that a 21-year-old Monty flicked through the pages of said newspaper, caught a glimpse of Becker's feat underneath his own write up and said, 'all credit to him' in that phrase of praise that would become a bit of a trademark. Or perhaps he chirped, 'all credit to me' before pinning the cutting on to his wall of fame with gleeful gusto? Here in 2025, the Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship returns to East Lothian again this weekend as the West Links at North Berwick stages the event for the first time since it co-hosted back in 1985. The decades hurtle by, don't they? 'Is it really 40 years?,' gasped Montgomerie of this passage of time. It sure is. Back in the day, a young Montgomerie had already underlined his potential by winning the Scottish Youths' title in 1983 before losing to a certain Jose Maria Olazabal in the final of the Amateur Championship at Formby a year later. 'Now on the Champions Tour, my parking spot at events is next to Jose Maria and he still mentions the Amateur Championship 40 years on,' smiled Monty of the Spaniard's gentle ribbing. In 1985, Montgomerie was a 21-year-old student at Houston Baptist University in Texas and arrived back on home soil for the Scottish Strokeplay Championship as one of the favourites. He justified that standing with a fine display of poise, polish and purpose on the east coast and eased to a victory which, at the time, was the biggest of his fledgling career. 'I'd just come back from American college and was playing better and better,' he reflected. 'I went into that event as one of the favourites and thankfully got the job done. 'The strokeplay was one of the big two amateur titles that I wanted on my CV and in 1987 I was able to win the Scottish Amateur Matchplay at Nairn. 'But I was thrilled to win that first title and it sent me on a really strong run for a few years.' That success at Dunbar in '85 helped Montgomerie secure a place in the GB&I Walker Cup team and he would retain his spot in the side two years later before making the leap into the pro ranks not long after. The rest is history. 'I look back very fondly on my amateur career,' said Monty, who was the European Tour's rookie of the year in 1988 and won his first title on the circuit the following season in Portugal by a whopping 11-shots. 'When I turned pro in September 1987, I very quickly had to go from trying to beat Sandy Stephen, George Macgregor and Ian Brotherston – all very good players - to coming up against Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle.' A new generation, including reigning Scottish Amateur Matchplay champion Alexander Farmer, will tackle the delights, the rigours and the charming quirks of North Berwick over the next three days with an international field of 144 players gathering for this terrific links test. They'll be hard pressed to put on a show like Englishman Dominic Clemons did in the championship 12 months ago. Just along the A198 at Muirfield, Clemons conjured a quite remarkable performance that left onlookers scraping their jaws off the ground as he brought the formidable Open venue to its knees with a 24-under total. His closing day rounds of 65 and 62 gave Clemons a record-busting 17-stroke win which blitzed the previous best of eight set by Barclay Howard in 1997 and matched by Tommy Fleetwood in 2009. All credit to him, as Monty might have said.
The Herald Scotland
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish Strokeplay Championship returns to North Berwick
A couple of weeks before his conquest at the All England Club, Becker romped to his first top-level triumph in the Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club. His win wasn't enough to earn top billing in the sports pages of the Glasgow Herald that June weekend, mind you. Above a report of Becker's barnstorming breakthrough down in West Kensington was the headline act of Colin Montgomerie and his five-shot procession in the Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship at North Berwick and Dunbar. One likes to imagine that a 21-year-old Monty flicked through the pages of said newspaper, caught a glimpse of Becker's feat underneath his own write up and said, 'all credit to him' in that phrase of praise that would become a bit of a trademark. Or perhaps he chirped, 'all credit to me' before pinning the cutting on to his wall of fame with gleeful gusto? Here in 2025, the Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship returns to East Lothian again this weekend as the West Links at North Berwick stages the event for the first time since it co-hosted back in 1985. The decades hurtle by, don't they? 'Is it really 40 years?,' gasped Montgomerie of this passage of time. It sure is. Back in the day, a young Montgomerie had already underlined his potential by winning the Scottish Youths' title in 1983 before losing to a certain Jose Maria Olazabal in the final of the Amateur Championship at Formby a year later. 'Now on the Champions Tour, my parking spot at events is next to Jose Maria and he still mentions the Amateur Championship 40 years on,' smiled Monty of the Spaniard's gentle ribbing. In 1985, Montgomerie was a 21-year-old student at Houston Baptist University in Texas and arrived back on home soil for the Scottish Strokeplay Championship as one of the favourites. He justified that standing with a fine display of poise, polish and purpose on the east coast and eased to a victory which, at the time, was the biggest of his fledgling career. 'I'd just come back from American college and was playing better and better,' he reflected. 'I went into that event as one of the favourites and thankfully got the job done. 'The strokeplay was one of the big two amateur titles that I wanted on my CV and in 1987 I was able to win the Scottish Amateur Matchplay at Nairn. 'But I was thrilled to win that first title and it sent me on a really strong run for a few years.' That success at Dunbar in '85 helped Montgomerie secure a place in the GB&I Walker Cup team and he would retain his spot in the side two years later before making the leap into the pro ranks not long after. The rest is history. 'I look back very fondly on my amateur career,' said Monty, who was the European Tour's rookie of the year in 1988 and won his first title on the circuit the following season in Portugal by a whopping 11-shots. 'When I turned pro in September 1987, I very quickly had to go from trying to beat Sandy Stephen, George Macgregor and Ian Brotherston – all very good players - to coming up against Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle.' A new generation, including reigning Scottish Amateur Matchplay champion Alexander Farmer, will tackle the delights, the rigours and the charming quirks of North Berwick over the next three days with an international field of 144 players gathering for this terrific links test. They'll be hard pressed to put on a show like Englishman Dominic Clemons did in the championship 12 months ago. Just along the A198 at Muirfield, Clemons conjured a quite remarkable performance that left onlookers scraping their jaws off the ground as he brought the formidable Open venue to its knees with a 24-under total. His closing day rounds of 65 and 62 gave Clemons a record-busting 17-stroke win which blitzed the previous best of eight set by Barclay Howard in 1997 and matched by Tommy Fleetwood in 2009. All credit to him, as Monty might have said.
