OBAN TEENAGER'S LAST ROUND SURGE TO WIN YOUTHS TITLE

       Robert MacIntyre with the Golf Data Lab Scottish youths championship trophy

                                           Picture by courtesy of Kenny Smith

Oban teenager Robert MacIntyre produced the round of the championship - a three-under-par 67 - to achieve a come-from-behind, last-round victory surge to win the Golf Data Lab Scottish youths golf title at Lanark Golf Club today (Sunday).

Left-hander MacIntyre, who has been dominating even men's tournaments in Argyll and Bute circles at the age of 16, showed that class on the national stage with a four-over-par total of 284, made up of rounds of 72, 73, 72 and 67 in conditions that were testing to say the least.

A +2 handicapper, Robert had six birdies in his final round - at the fifth, sixth, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th, sweeping past the leaders with inward half of 31. He covered his last eight holes in four under par. Even bogeys at the fourth, seventh and 10th did not rob him of any of his momentum.

MacIntyre won by three shots from Charlie MacNeal (Prestwick) who had four steady rounds of 71, 72, 72 and 762 for 287.

Blackburn's Joey Lamb (Wilpshire) who looked the possible winner after his first three rounds of 71, 71 and 72, could not hold MacIntyre and MacNeal at bay as he closed with a 74 for 288.

Scots boys filled three of the first four places with Ewen Bearsden in fourth place on 289 with rounds of 75, 70, 72 and 72.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 280 (4x70) CSS 73 74 73

284 Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten) 72 73 72 67.

287 Charlie MacNeil (Prestwick) 71 72 72 72

288 Joey Lamb (Wilpshire, Blackburn) 71 71 72 74.

289 Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) 75 70 72 72.

290 Nigel Colbeck (Cleckheaton) 73 70 75 72, Jordan Milne (Elgin) 71 72 72 75, Kristian Kulokorpi (Fin) 71 72 73 74.

291 Ben Kinsley (St Andrews) 73 75 73 70, Ryan Campbell (Falkirk) 74 76 68 73, Craig Chalmers (Cawder) 69 73 77 72.

293 Simon Fairburn (Torwoodlee) 72 78 69 74, David Wilson (Troon Welbeck) 72 76 69 76, Antti Lassila (Fin) 71 71 77 74, Mike Bullen (Worthing) 72 70 73 78.

294 George Burns (Williamwood) 75 70 72 77

295 Calum Hill (Tantallon) 74 73 78 70, Louis Tomlinson (West Lancs) 75 74 69 78, Connor Syme (Dumfries and Co) 71 73 76 75, James Steven (Bothwell Castle) 74 71 72 78.

296 Vitek Novak (Cze) 75 74 69 78, Jordyn Rhind (Kingsfield) 69 71 76 80.

298 Jamie Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) 72 77 76 73, Sean Blinkhorn (Southport and Ainsdale) 74 75 74 75, Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) 76 73 73 76, Edward Holland (Harley Wintney) 73 72 73 80

299 Rory Tinker (Strathmore) 73 75 78 73, Mark Keevil (Cumberwell Park) 76 74 73 76, Fraser Johnston (Longniddry) 72 77 74 76.

300 Craig Lawrie (Deeside) 71 76 78 75, Lyle McAlpine (Royal Dornoch) 72 77 73 78, Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 71 78 75 76.

301 Callum NcNeill (Lauder) 76 74 76 75, Andrew Davidson (Charleton) 70 76 76 79.

302 Cameron Kirkwood  (Beasden) 74 76 80 72, Willem Kerr (Craigielaw) 73 75 73 81.

303 Oliver Sheeran (Bothwell Castle) 72 77 76 78, Connar Cook (Caird Park) 74 75 77 77

305 Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) 75 74 77 79, Oliver Roberts (Hong Kong) 73 75 79 78.

306 Kerr Baptie (Duff House Royal) 74 76 75 81

308 Daniel Eardley (Liberton) 68 79 74 87

309 Calum Fyfe (Cawder) 72 78 79 80.

314 Jake Scott (Duff House Royal) 73 75 88 78.

REPORT FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE

By ED HODGE, Press Officer

On the day Phil Mickelson confirmed his return to the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links in July, another left-hander grabbed the headlines at Lanark GC tonight to achieve the biggest win of his young life.

Robert MacIntyre, the 16-year-old from Glencruitten, is the new Golf Data Lab Scottish Youths champion after he stormed through the field with a brilliant three-under-par 67 in difficult conditions to win by three shots on four-over-par.

Five behind overnight leader Jordyn Rhind going into the final day, MacIntyre – a member of the SGU Boys’ Performance Squad – fired a third-round 72 to stay in the hunt before making his move over the closing 18 holes.

The big-hitting teenager reeled off six birdies and only three bogeys – including a purple spell of four birdies in five holes from the 12th – to post a clubhouse score that simply nobody could match. MacIntyre's 67 was the best round of the entire week, with only eight scores under par during the 72-hole event.

The win was all the more impressive as MacIntyre missed eight weeks of action earlier in the season having fractured his elbow playing five-a-side football.

Only four weeks after his return to the fairways, the prolific club winner at Glencruitten can celebrate his best achievement to date. The +2 handicapper’s previous top finish was joint-runner-up in the Scottish Boys Under-16’s Championship last year.

“It’s definitely my biggest win,” said Scottish Golf Academy player MacIntyre, who finished three clear of Charlie Macneal from Prestwick with Wilpshire’s Joey Lamb a shot further back.

“It was a tough wind, but being a few shots back I felt I had nothing to lose so just started aiming at pins on the back nine. I’ve been hitting the ball great so it was just great to see the putts going in.

“My elbow has been feeling fine. I had to withdraw from the Scottish Boys at Monifieth so this makes up for it.”

MacIntyre, who joins an illustrious winners’ list that includes Paul McGinley, Martin Laird and Stephen Gallacher, was handed his opportunity after Kingsfield's Rhind fell away to share 20th while the hopes of Worthing’s Mike Bullen, who had been leading, nose-dived after a quadruple bogey at the 11th.

Bearsden’s Ewen Ferguson continued his fine form to finish fourth on nine-over, with Elgin’s Jordan Milne in a three-way tie for fifth spot.

Click here for final scores from the Golf Data Lab Scottish Youths Championship