Bradley Neil with the Reid Trophy. Image by courtesy of Tom Ward Photography.

Reid Trophy stays in Scotland, thanks to Bradley Neil

FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
Blairgowrie's Bradley Neil ensured the Reid Trophy stayed in Scotland when he won the English Boys under 14 Championship at Hesketh, near Southport earlier today.
A closing round of 75 for 218, two over par, gave him a four stroke winning margin over Geordie Jack Hermeston, who closest with a level par 72, and six shots ahead of the rest of the field. His victory means he follows compatriot Euan Scott as champion following his victory at The Kendleshire a year ago.

“This win means so much to me,” said Neil. “I so wanted to follow Euan as champion while I also wanted to add the English Championship to my Scottish under 14 title. I don’t think anyone has held both titles in the same year and I don’t know if anyone has led from start to finish. But I came here this week with a record to set and I’ve achieved that."

Neil’s closing round was anything but straight forward. Despite starting with a three-shot lead, he got off to a shaky start and was three over par after five holes.

“Thankfully I birdie the eighth but I also bogeyed nine when I found I was only one ahead,” added the young Scot. “But I had nine pars on the back nine and it was one of those days to make pars. At the start, with a three-shot lead, I knew that if could make pars the rest would have to make birdies to catch me.”

Johannes Schwab from Austria came closest to putting Neil under pressure but when he four-putted the 14th green and bogeyed the next, his fire was extinguished. In the end Schwab shot 76 to finish joint third on 224 alongside Ashton Turner from Lincolnshire, who closed with 74, but Hermeston came through to take second place with his 72 for 222.

Hermeston, 14, a member of the City of Newcastle men’s team and of the Northumberland under 18 side, found history repeating itself as he finished runner-up to Neil in the Scottish under 14 Championship.

The under 13 title went to Max Martin from Copt Heath, equal fifth on 225 after a closing 77 with Haydn McCullen from Didsbury, ironically last year’s under 13 winner, who chipped-in at the last for a 78.


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