Hazlehead teenager David Law in action at Royal Troon (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency). Click on it to enlarge.
It's O'Hara v Law for the title
- and both can make history!
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Motherwell’s Paul O’Hara is through to his third final of the Allied Surveyors Scottish amateur golf championship. But the 22-year-old Colville Park player feels this one is going to be different – he’s going to win it!
If he does, Paul, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency at Troon, will match the achievement of older brother, European Tour player Steven O’Hara, the winner at Royal Dornoch in 2000. No two brothers have ever won this national title.
O’Hara’s opponent in the 36-hole will be Aberdonian David Law, the 18-year-old winner of the Scottish boys’ match-play championship at Balgownie in April and a protégé of Paul Lawrie who sent his usual text messages before and after the match,
Law, like O’Hara, will be bidding for a first – no Scottish boys’ match-play champion has ever won the men’s national match-play title in the same season.
In this afternoon's semi-finals, played in foul weather of wind and rain, Paul, the No 4 seed, beat the only other surviving seed, No 8 Kris McNicoll (Carnoustie), by 3 and 2.
And Law won an all-Aberdeen encounter against 39-year-old Bryan Innes (Murcar Links) by 2 and 1.
O’Hara never looked like being beaten after going two up at the fourth and he won by 3 and 2 in the end.
“I’ve been playing well all week. I’ve never been behind in any of my matches and I feel as though I am a better player than when I lost in the finals of 2004 and 2006,” said O’Hara who has had the look of the ultimate winner all week.
“I’ll be more patient and certainly less nervous than I was then. I was only 17 or so when I lost to George Murray at Gullane five years ago. I feel I have more control of the ball, and that helps a lot in the windy conditions we’ve had this week. and I’m hitting it a lot further without any extra effort.”
McNicoll, obviously disappointed at not reaching his second final in three years, said: “I just struggled to keep the ball on the fairways. Paul was very solid. He deserved to win.”
Both men will be entering the European Tour Qualifying School process in mid-September.
O’Hara, who had five birdies in his morning 4 and 3 win over Peter Latimer (St Andrews New), produced another two on the outward half against McNicoll to be three up after nine.
O’Hara drew first blood with a winning par at the third and a birdie 4 at the long fourth put him two up. McNicoll scored his first success with a par 3 at the fifth but went two down again to a birdie 2 by O’Hara at the Postage Stamp short eighth.
McNicoll had his third bogey out the outward half to lose the ninth.
The Carnoustie man, out in three-over 39 to O’Hara’s 36, needed to make inroads on his three-hole deficit as they turned for home but could no better than halve the 10th and 11th and the writing was on the wall for McNicoll when he bogeyed the 12th to fall four down with six to play.
McNicoll got his first win since the fifth with a par at the 13th and, when O’Hara conceded the 15th , the Motherwell man’s lead had been slashed to two holes but O’Hara finished his man off with a birdie at the long 16th – his eighth birdie of the day – for a 3 and 2 win.
David Law feels he has played better at Royal Troon than he did in his Under-18 title-winning effort at Royal Aberdeen – “but I’ve had to … this is a men’s championship.
I’ve gained a lot of tournament experience since April and even this week I’ve felt as though I’ve been getting better and better. I’ve sharpened up a lot and I holed a lot of clutch putts to win my semi-final.
“But Paul O’Hara’s a great player. I played a lot with him, so I know this is going to be my toughest ever match in the final. He has an unbelievable short game but I’ll be up for it.”
Bryan Innes, after his four birdies in his last seven morning holes to beat Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) by 6 and 4, was not long in coming down to earth with a bump after lunch. He drove out of bounds from the elevated first tee over the fence on the right and on to the beach but, unruffled, he was back on terms when Law bogeyed the third. A string of halved holes followed and it was all square at the turn with Law out in three-over 39.
The younger Aberdonian regained the lead he had lost at the third when he holed a good eight-footer for a winning par 4 at the 10th Law was holing some great pressure putts. He sank a six-footer at the next for a half and then got an almost unbelievable half in bogey 5s after losing a ball from a snap hook of the tee.
“I holed a 15 footer there for a birdie with my second ball and then I sank an 18ft putt putt for a birdie 3 to got two up at the 13th.”
These were the key holes for Law who lost the 14th but halved the 15th and 16th before winning by 2 and 1 with a par 3 at the short 17th.
The consolation for Bryan Innes is that he receives a medal for reaching the semi-finals.
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Motherwell’s Paul O’Hara is through to his third final of the Allied Surveyors Scottish amateur golf championship. But the 22-year-old Colville Park player feels this one is going to be different – he’s going to win it!
If he does, Paul, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency at Troon, will match the achievement of older brother, European Tour player Steven O’Hara, the winner at Royal Dornoch in 2000. No two brothers have ever won this national title.
O’Hara’s opponent in the 36-hole will be Aberdonian David Law, the 18-year-old winner of the Scottish boys’ match-play championship at Balgownie in April and a protégé of Paul Lawrie who sent his usual text messages before and after the match,
Law, like O’Hara, will be bidding for a first – no Scottish boys’ match-play champion has ever won the men’s national match-play title in the same season.
In this afternoon's semi-finals, played in foul weather of wind and rain, Paul, the No 4 seed, beat the only other surviving seed, No 8 Kris McNicoll (Carnoustie), by 3 and 2.
And Law won an all-Aberdeen encounter against 39-year-old Bryan Innes (Murcar Links) by 2 and 1.
O’Hara never looked like being beaten after going two up at the fourth and he won by 3 and 2 in the end.
“I’ve been playing well all week. I’ve never been behind in any of my matches and I feel as though I am a better player than when I lost in the finals of 2004 and 2006,” said O’Hara who has had the look of the ultimate winner all week.
“I’ll be more patient and certainly less nervous than I was then. I was only 17 or so when I lost to George Murray at Gullane five years ago. I feel I have more control of the ball, and that helps a lot in the windy conditions we’ve had this week. and I’m hitting it a lot further without any extra effort.”
McNicoll, obviously disappointed at not reaching his second final in three years, said: “I just struggled to keep the ball on the fairways. Paul was very solid. He deserved to win.”
Both men will be entering the European Tour Qualifying School process in mid-September.
O’Hara, who had five birdies in his morning 4 and 3 win over Peter Latimer (St Andrews New), produced another two on the outward half against McNicoll to be three up after nine.
O’Hara drew first blood with a winning par at the third and a birdie 4 at the long fourth put him two up. McNicoll scored his first success with a par 3 at the fifth but went two down again to a birdie 2 by O’Hara at the Postage Stamp short eighth.
McNicoll had his third bogey out the outward half to lose the ninth.
The Carnoustie man, out in three-over 39 to O’Hara’s 36, needed to make inroads on his three-hole deficit as they turned for home but could no better than halve the 10th and 11th and the writing was on the wall for McNicoll when he bogeyed the 12th to fall four down with six to play.
McNicoll got his first win since the fifth with a par at the 13th and, when O’Hara conceded the 15th , the Motherwell man’s lead had been slashed to two holes but O’Hara finished his man off with a birdie at the long 16th – his eighth birdie of the day – for a 3 and 2 win.
David Law feels he has played better at Royal Troon than he did in his Under-18 title-winning effort at Royal Aberdeen – “but I’ve had to … this is a men’s championship.
I’ve gained a lot of tournament experience since April and even this week I’ve felt as though I’ve been getting better and better. I’ve sharpened up a lot and I holed a lot of clutch putts to win my semi-final.
“But Paul O’Hara’s a great player. I played a lot with him, so I know this is going to be my toughest ever match in the final. He has an unbelievable short game but I’ll be up for it.”
Bryan Innes, after his four birdies in his last seven morning holes to beat Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) by 6 and 4, was not long in coming down to earth with a bump after lunch. He drove out of bounds from the elevated first tee over the fence on the right and on to the beach but, unruffled, he was back on terms when Law bogeyed the third. A string of halved holes followed and it was all square at the turn with Law out in three-over 39.
The younger Aberdonian regained the lead he had lost at the third when he holed a good eight-footer for a winning par 4 at the 10th Law was holing some great pressure putts. He sank a six-footer at the next for a half and then got an almost unbelievable half in bogey 5s after losing a ball from a snap hook of the tee.
“I holed a 15 footer there for a birdie with my second ball and then I sank an 18ft putt putt for a birdie 3 to got two up at the 13th.”
These were the key holes for Law who lost the 14th but halved the 15th and 16th before winning by 2 and 1 with a par 3 at the short 17th.
The consolation for Bryan Innes is that he receives a medal for reaching the semi-finals.
FRIDAY'S RESULTS
Quarter-finals
*Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) bt Grant Carnie (Newburgh-on-Ythan) 4 and 3, *Paul O’Hara (Colville Park) bt Peter Latimer (St Andrews New) 4 and 3, Bryan Innes (Murcar Links) bt Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 6 and 4, David Law (Hazlehead) bt Euan Brown (Kilmarnock Barassie) 1 hole.
Semi-finals
Semi-finals
*O’Hara bt *McNicoll 3 and 2, Law bt Innes 2 and 1.
* denotes seeded player.
* denotes seeded player.
Labels: Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, July 31, 2009
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