DEFENDING CHAMPION DAVID WILSON HOLES BIRDIE PUTT AT 19th

Defending champion David Wilson in action in his 19th hole win. Image by Kenny Smith, courtesy of the SGU. 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

It must be in David Wilson's golfing make-up that he likes to live dangerously in the Scottish boys' championship.

Twelve months ago at Dunbar, the then 16-year-old Troon Welbeck player staged a comeback in the final against Liam Johnston that will be talked about for years to come.

Twice eight down at different stages of the 2011 36-hole final, Wilson finally capped his miraculous recovery by winning at the 38th.

In the late evening sunshine today, when the temperature dropped well below its 10 degree high, and in his first tie as defending champion in the Paul Lawrie Foundation Scottish boys' championship, Wilson seemed to have an inside-the-distance victory margin all wrapped up over a very good youngster, 16-year-old Alisdair McDougall (St Andrews New).

This is the McDougall who was MVP of last week's Under-16 quadrangular tournament at Hilton Templepatrick GC, near Belfast with five wins out of six - a performance that inspired the young Scots to snatch victory on the last day by beating the front-running Irish.

Two up with two to play, Wilson contrived to squander that advantage and had to go down the 19th to survive.

He lost the 17th after hooking his tee shot into bushes and also the 18th where he was in two bunkers.

But David pulled himself together to produce a winning birdie when he badly needed it, holing from 45ft for a 3 at the first extra hole.

"I was in control for 16 holes of the match," said Wilson. "Then I had a total loss of concentration, forgot what I was doing and hit the ball straight right to lose the 17th. I knew it was going to be a tough match with Alisdair coming straight here from playing very well for the Scotland Under-16s team in Northern Ireland.

"But having a tough match at this stage of the championship can work both ways. It should sharpen me up for the next game."

One match that started on Monday will spill over into Tuesday - Neil McArthur (Bishopbriggs) and Zack Bedford (St Andrews New) being all square after 18 holes when the SGU officials decided it was getting too dark to continue.

They will be back on the first tee, making it the 19th in the match, very early in the second-day programme.

The officials must have thought the fates were conspiring to disrupt the well-organised schedule when a clutch of ties at the backend of the field went into extra holes.

There was Wilson's 19th hole win ... Ray Gordon (Alford) also winning at the first extra hole ... Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) and Duncan McNeill (Powfoot) playing the longest match of the day with Ferguson winning at the 22nd ...Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) getting through at the 20th and Adam Black winning at the 19th: all within the last hour of play
To fail by just one match to get through a massive programme of 74 ties in the one day was not a bad effort. And there will be another 74 ties on Tuesday.

ALL HANDS ON DECK, EVEN THE CHIEF EXEC

+Nice to see SGU chief executive Hamish Grey (pictured left) himself putting up the latest positions and results on the scoreboard in the evening when most of the North-east and North District officials had done their long stints for the day.