Top 20 finish by two Scots in

McGregor Trophy Under-16s

Liam Johnston (Dumfries & Co) finished a creditable joint 12th in a big field for the English Golf Union's McGregor Trophy Under-16s open amateur stroke-play championship at Radcliffe on Trent Golf Club today Thursday.
Johnston had four steady rounds of 70, 72, 72 and 70 for a total of 284.
The only othe Scot to survive the halfway cut, Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) also made a top-20 finish with scores of 74, 74, 71 and 71 to share 16th place on 286.
There was a five-way play-off between those who finished on 279 - two English lads, a Welshman, a Spaniard and a Belgian.
The winner was the defending champion Seb Crookall-Nixon from Workington) who beat Rhys Pughj (Vale of Glamogan), Nick Newbold (Kedleston Park), Adria Arnhaus (Spain) and Bertrand Mommaerts (Belgium).

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70)
279 Seb Crookall-Nixon (Workington) 66 72 73 69, Rhys Pugh (Vale of Glamorgan) 69 71 72 67, Adria Arnhaus (Spain) 69 69 66 75, Bertrand Mommaert (Belgium) 67 70 73 69, Nick Newbold (Kedleston Park) 68 70 73 68.
280 Max Orrin (North Foreland) 70 67 72 71.
282 Callum Shinkwin (Porters Park) 69 75 68 70, David Boote (Walton Heath) 70 68 67 74, Liam Harper (Lydd) 67 71 74 70.
283 Sam Edwards (Bigbury) 71 72 69 71, Curtis Griffiths (Wentworth) 70 68 73 73.
284 Liam Johnston (Dumfries & Co) 70 72 72 70, Harry Casey (Enfield) 71 71 72 70, Joe Richards (Frilford Heath) 68 763 72 71, Patrick Kelly (Woodhall Spa) 71 69 70 74.
286 Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) 70 74 71 71, Oliver Carr (Heswall) 69 72 72 73.

Crookall-Nixon wins five-way play-off to retain title

REPORT FROM ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Seb Crookall-Nixon retained the English Boys Under 16 Stroke Play Championship for the McGregor Trophy after a dramatic five-way playoff at Radcliffe-on-Trent. The quintet, Adria Arnaus from Spain, Crookall-Nixon from Cumbria, Bertrand Mommaerts from Belgium, Nick Newbold from Kedleston Park and Welshman Rhys Pugh tied on 279, one under par, after a dramatic afternoon in the sunshine when, at one stage, the title looked to be safely in Arnaus’ grasp.
Arnaus and Newbold bogeyed the first playoff hole and were eliminated and Mommaerts followed at the second extra hole, the 18th, with another five. The conclusion came on the second visit to the first where a par four was sufficient for Crookall-Nixon to edge past Pugh, who took five.
“This is a dream come true,” said the lad from Cumbria. “Even when I was seven behind I still felt I could win. I had a game plan and I stuck to it when people were hitting drivers and I was hitting irons off the tee.
“Having won before I knew I could do it again and to be only the second player to retain the title is like making history.”
Apart from Arnaus, all had chances to win in regulation but missed birdie putts on the 18th green. Arnaus, who almost went out of bounds with his approach to 18, had to get up-and-down to make the play-off.
Arnaus, 15 from Barcelona, will look back on the day and wonder how the title managed to escape from his grasp. A morning 66 put him four shots clear and he was still in control at the turn. But he started the back nine bogey-double bogey-bogey to lose that lead and with others making headway it was all to play for.
Pugh returned 67 to set the target which was systematically matched by the other four. Then came that sensational conclusion that was befitting of the Radcliffe-on-Trent club in its centenary year.