David Law hopes to follow in Steven

Young's footsteps as a double champ

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Scottish boys’ match-play champion David Law from Aberdeen will be bidding over the next three days to follow even further along the footsteps of another one-time North-east junior golf star, Steven Young (pictured).
Young, from the Buchan village of Inverallochy, won the Scottish boys’ match-play championship three times in a row between 1993 and 1995. In the middle year, 1994, he pulled off the rare double of winning both the Under-18s’ match-play and stroke-play titles.
Only three players in all have done that double in the same calendar year – TV commentator Ewen Murray in 1971, Steven Young (1994) and Scott Henry (Cardross) in 2004.
Law is as good a card-and-pencil player as he is at match-play and he tops the Scottish Golf Union Boys’ Order of Merit table.
The Hazlehead player is expected to confirm that with a forward showing at Ladybank Golf Club’s moorland course in Fife in a 72-hole championship sponsored by firstpointusa.com.
Mark Bookless, winner of the title at Blairgowrie last year, is too old to defend it this week.
Law’s main rivals should include Paul Shields (Kirkhill), whom he beat in the match-play final at Balgownie in April, and Inchmarlo’s Chris Robb, who gave David a severe test in the semi-final. All three were in the Scotland line-up at the recent European boys’ team championship in the Netherlands.
The Scottish boys’ stroke-play championship is an open competition and the leading Scots face stiff competition from south of the border, as well as a strong overseas contingent with Matthias Kaufmann from Austria the lowest handicapper in the 144 strong field on +2.5. Kauffman is one of 11 plus handicappers in the field who could challenge for the silverware.
*Whatever happened to Steven Young? Well, after winning the British boys' championship at Dunbar, then playing for GB&I in the Walker Cup he turned professional in 1997 in the United States where he played on satellite tours and got within one stroke of qualifying for the US PGA Tour. That was the high point of his pro career. He is now happily married to an American girl, lives in Midland, Texas, where he went to college and works on the pro staff of one of the local golf clubs. He still plays the game but only in local pro-ams. Steven is still only 32.