COUNTY NEWS: KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE MEN'S MATCH-PLAY

Left to right: David Stitt (semi-finalist), Ben Shamash (runner-up), Norman Russell (county vice-president), Jordan Williams (winner) and Brian Duguid (secretary, Kirkcudbright Golf Association).

REPORT FROM BRIAN DUGUID
Kirkcudbright Golf Association
The final of the Kirkcudbrightshire Golf Association men's match-play championshipship was played over the Kirkcudbrightshire course. 

The finalists were Jordan Williams (Castle Douglas) and Ben Shamash (Kirkcudbright). To get to the final Jordan had beaten David Davidson and Ross Murray, whilst Ben had defeated John Houston and David Stitt. 

The match was played in glorious sunshine with a strong wind blowing down the course. 

On the first hole Ben took the lead scoring a par to Jordan's bogey but this did not last long as Jordan birdied the second.  Both parred the third. 

Ben went ahead with a birdie 3 at the fourth and increased his lead to two holes with a birdie 2 at the 135yd fifth where his pitching wedge tee shot finished within three inches of the hole. 

Jordan came back strongly to win the seventh and eighth with pars and it was all square at the turn. 

The 10th saw Jordan take the lead for the first time. The 11th, 12th and 13th were halved in pars. Jordan hit a superb drive at the 14th, pitched to the green and sank his putt for a birdie 3 to go two up.

Ben pulled one back with a par 3 at 15th. The 16th was halved in par and on the 17th Ben hit a great second shot to within six inches of the flag for him to square the match with a birdie 3.

At the 18th both players hit long drives. Jordan's second hit the green to the right. Ben's shot was too strong and finished past the flag just off the green.  Ben was first to play and his pitch went past the hole.  Jordan became the 2012 county hampion by putting dead for par 4 to win by one hole.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: I remember reporting on Ben Shamash's great run through to the final of the 2005 Scottish men's amateur championship at Southerness and his epic match against Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie), which went to the 37th hole before Glenn won the title.

I often wondered what happened to Ben after that. There is so little golf news comes out of the South of Scotland that I wondered if he still played the game. I know Ben had a sister who figured in ladies competitions for a spell.

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