Erskine Club captain Finlay MacLennan, Matthew Clark and Renfresshire Golf Union president Don Bremner

KILMACOLM HAVE ANOTHER CHAMPION

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION
Don Bremner: e-mail- donbremner@ranfurly9.freeserve.co.uk
The season started well for Matthew Clark of Kilmacolm when, in April, he won the Craigmillar Open with an amazing four-round aggregate score of 260 which included a third-round 62.
This propelled him into the leading area of the Scottish Order of Merit and the prospect of a place in the Scotland team. However, an early exit in the Scottish amateur championship meant that he missed out on his cap and further disappointment was to come as clubmate Andrew Farmer won the Renfrewshire county stroke-play championship.
Having made his way to the semi finals of the County Match Play Championship at Erskine Golf Club, Matthew was keen to finish the season with a flourish but, first, his old adversary and local member Ronnie Clark stood in his way.
In a high standard match, he took control of the match by the seventeenth tee where he was two up with two to play. A drive sent right into shoulder high rough and obscurity took the game to the last where Ronnie drove to green side followed by Matthew’s effort which caught the greenside bunker.
Extra holes looked on the cards until he splashed out to two feet to win by one hole – a great contest.
In the other semi final, Renfrew’s Jordan Grant met Ken Fairbrother from Cochrane Castle. By the turn, by virtue of two birdies, Ken was one up. Jordan quickly clawed this back to square the match at the tenth then birdies from him at the 13th and 14th saw him take control for an eventual 4 and 3 win.
The quality of the final was quickly established when Jordan and Matthew traded birdies in the first two holes. The turning point came at the fifth hole where Mattthew decided to cut the corner in a bid to catch the green – some 323 yards away! His bravery paid dividends with the ball finishing at the back of the green and he went on to build a three hole lead by the turn.
Jordan staged a comeback with a win at the tenth but his putting touch, which had been superb in the morning battle, abandoned him and Matthew played some great golf to win 4 and 3 to win the championship that he wanted.