The following article is reproduced from The Scottish Institute of Sport Foundation's website, www.inthewinningzone.com, by kind permission of its exectutive director, Graham F Watson.

KEVIN McALPINE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE ... and if his Dad is anything to

go by, Scottish golf is in safe hands

Kevin McAlpine is the son of one of Scotland's most famous goalkeepers – but the 23-year-old has shown that he also has a safe pair of hands in gathering an impressive array of golfing trophies. The Alyth member scaled new heights last season when he captured the Allied Surveyors Scottish Amateur Championship at Nairn and, this year, he completed an impressive double by adding the Bidwells Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship at Royal Dornoch.

Just for good measure, Kevin, pictured above, is also the holder of the North of Scotland Open stroke-play championship for the David Blair Trophy.

So it's little wonder that the young McAlpine - Dad Hamish is a Dundee United legend and a pretty good golfer himself - is already planning to turn golf from a serious hobby into a full-time career. And he's looking forward to getting his first taste of life as a European Tour player when he lines up in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond from July 12-15. But there are a few boxes to be ticked before he turns professional. He is playing for Scotland in this week's European team hampionships at Western Gailes - and then he hopes to reach the pinnacle of the amateur game by playing for Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup at Royal County Down in early September.

"Winning the Scottish amateur (match-play) championship at Nairn last year was a huge confidence boost," said McAlpine, who returned last year from four years at Colorado State University.

"I started this season reasonably well at the Champion of Champions and the Craigmillar Park Open before winning the Scottish Strokeplay, which was another big boost.

"The Walker Cup side is chosen after the Scottish amateur (at Prestwick at the end of this month) and it would be great to be included. But, whatever happens, I'll definitely be going to Tour School at the end of the season.

"Loch Lomond is going to be huge. It will be the first time that I've played alongside the professionals and I'm going to try and enjoy it and really take all I can from the experience." While the majority of top-class amateurs are full-time golfers, Alyth Golf Club member McAlpine manages to mix his high standard of golf with his job as a kitchen designer with JTC Joinery and Timber Operations.

"When I came back from the States last May I wanted a job so I could have a solid income," he explained.

"I get Lottery Funding, which is very good, but I do like to be independent.

"I'm in a good position because the company is great and allows me as much time off as I need. But I do look forward to being able to play golf full time and see how far I can go."

Not surprisingly, McAlpine also toyed with the idea of becoming a footballer. As a teenager, he was a handy midfielder.

"Up until I was about 17, I played both football and golf quite seriously," he said. "But then I had to choose one, and it was golf."
So far, it seems to have been a wise decision.

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