COLD AND VERY WINDY AT THE DUKE'S COURSE, ST ANDREWS

EARLY BIRD McMULLEN FLIES OFF 

WITH SGU JUNIOR CHAMPIONS' TITLE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
An early starting time when a cold wind was not quite so strong played a part in Niall McMullen's victory with a one-under-par 70 in the rescheduled SGU Junior Champion of Champions one-round tournament over The Duke's Course, St Andrews today.
The competition should have been played last autumn but had to be postponed due to flooding.

Lundin Golf Club member McMullen - in the first group off the tee and well used to playing in a wind on the Fife coastline - made the most of his luck of the draw, playing very well to notch birdies at the long first, long 11th and 17th, offset only by bogeys at the short 16th and 18th in halves of 35.

McMullen played in last year's Under-16 boys international against England and he made the last 16 of the International Junior Masters tournament in the United States.

Underlining the advantage of an early morning start, George Burns (Williamwood), in the second threesome off the tee, finished joint second on 71 with Dundee's Connor Cook (Caird Park).

Burns had an eagle 3 at the long sixth and birdies at the seventh and 11th but had four bogeys in halves of 35-36.

Cook had birdies at the sixth, 13th and 17th but bogeys at the second, eighth and 16th in halves of 37-34.

Scottish schoolboys champion Connor Syme (Dumfries and Galloway) had the best inward halves of the day, 33, thanks to birdies at the 11th, 12th and 15th after the outward half cost him 39 shots.

British boys champion Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) finished fith on 75 while Scottish boys match-play title-holder, Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) had an uncharacteristic, error-strewn 81 to finished joint 26th in a field of 46.

Neil had triple bogey 7s at the fourth and 13th, and a double bogey 7 at the first.

He dropped seven shots to par over the last seven holes in halves of 40-41.

FINAL SCORES
Par 71
70 N McMullen (Lundin)
71 C Cook (Caird Park), G Burns (Williamwood)
72 C Syme (Dumfries and Galloway)
75 E Ferguson (Bearsden)
76 C Good (Musselburgh), M McCulloch (Portpatrick)
77 S Irvine (Falkirk), A McDougall (St Andrews), G Forester (Lundin), J Wilson (Balmore), F Davren (Williamwood), C Edgar (Cochrane Castle).
78 M Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy), C Harkness (Dumfries and Galloway), P Dorrian (Greenock), C Curran (Harburn), C Fyfe (Cawder)
79 B Kinsley (St Andrews), C Kirkwood (Bearsden), C Cheyne (Newmachar)
80 R Franssen (Inverness), G Petrie (Forfar), S Roger (Cruden Bay), J Harling (Banchory)
81 R Alexander (Braehead), C Richmond (Cowal), B Neil (Blairgowrie).
82 H Forsyth (Hawick), B Carnegie (Glenbervie), L Murray (Troon
Welbeck), I Ferguson (Drumpellier)
83 J Currie (Greenock), M Brodie (Strathmore), R Johnston (Glenbervie)
84 R White (Muckhart)
85 S Easton (Irvine), F Kane (Kirkhill), L Smith (Caldwell)
86 S Lavelle (Dumbarton)
87 D McCreadie (Newton Stewart), D Grindell (Inverness)
89 M McCrone (Troon Welbeck)
90 L Fraser (Loch Ness), Gareth Renwick (Hawick).
Withdrew: R MacIntyre (Glencruitten).
No shows: A Waugh (Cowglen), A Fernie (Thornton).

TO VIEW THE SGU REPORT AND A PICTURE OF
NIALL McMULLEN PLAYING OUT OF A BUNKER

CLICK HERE