RENFREWSHIRE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT

RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNION  PRESS RELEASE

            

East Renfrewshire Golf Club was the venue for this year’s Renfrewshire County Championships.  It proved a demanding course and, in the stroke play rounds, created a dramatic finish.

David Dickson of Eastwood, having recorded a great 68 in the first round shot 73 in the second for 141.  This score was matched by Old Ranfurly’s Stewart Watt and it looked as if they would play extra holes to determine who was Champion.  However, these plans were quickly cancelled when, first, Lee Jenkins (Elderslie) and Grant Beaton (Bonnyton) came in late with aggregates of 140. 

It was those two who ventured back on to the course for the required extra holes – first, seventeenth and eighteenth.  After these holes, both players had scored level par so it was back to the first where a birdie from Grant Beaton meant that, after 40 holes of golf, Grant became Renfrewshire Golf Union’s Stroke Play Champion for 2013.

The top sixteen qualified for the match play championship and, by the end of the week, the surviving four were Paul Alexander (Caldwell), David Sibbald (Eastwood), Steven Higgins (Gourock) and 14 year old Jack Currie (Greenock) who had some major scalps under his belt by then!

In the first semi final, David shocked Paul by opening with two birdies and, despite his best efforts, Paul could not get back into the game until an eagle two at sixteen brought him back to one down.  David held on to halve the remaining holes for a one up victory in a match of high quality.

The second semi was a very tight affair with no player ever being more than one up.  Steven was one up playing the last and a search for his ball from the tee was unsuccessful after the allotted five minutes.  He then walked forward ten yards to discover his ball in the semi rough.  All square after eighteen it was on to extra holes and, after two extra holes, young Jack Currie made it to the final showing course management and ball striking well beyond his years.

Despite his tender years and the tension of the occasion, Jack took early control of the final going two up after three and was never behind despite some quality golf from 28 year old Sibbald.  Jack was three up after twelve then lost two holes to a determined effort from David which included an eagle three at the par 5 fourteenth.  Undeterred, the youngster held his nerve, won the fifteenth and a par at seventeen was good enough for a half and a two and one victory.  At fourteen, he must certainly be the youngest ever county Match Play Champion and who knows what lies ahead for him.

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