GOLF DATA LAB SCOTTISH YOUTHS CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT, SCORES

DIFFERENT CLASS MARSH WINS SCOTS
 
YOUTHS TITLE BY TWELVE STROKES 

              Nick Marsh with the trophy. Picture by courtesy of Kenny Smith (SGU)
 
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Yorkshire's Nick Marsh, 19-year-old runner-up at Panmure in the recent Scottish men's open amateur stroke-play championship, played like a man among boys to win the Golf Data Lab Scottish youths open amateur stroke-play title by 12 strokes over the Jubilee course at St Andrews.
Marsh's total of 11 under par 277 for what many regard as the most testing of all the Home of Golf's
courses underlined the class of the Huddersfield player who had rounds of 70, 68, 70 and 69 against a par of 72. He had 23 birdies over the 72 holes.

Now for the good news . nine of the top 12 finishers were Scottish, which is a good effort, considering the English dominated the first-round scoreboard.
Calum Hill (Tantallon) produced the low round of the tournament - a five-under-par 67 - in the final session of play to take second place on one-over-par 289. His earlier rounds were 72, 78 and 72.
Hill had a final outward half he should remember for the rest of his days. He had an eagle 3 at the third and birdies at the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth for a meagre 30 shots to the turn.
And he got another three birdies on the inward journey at the 11th, 15th and 18th - one eagle, seven birdies and four bogeys made up Hill's great last round. Look out for Marsh making the 2015 GB and I Walker Cup team. He is that good!
Josh Jamieson (St Andrews New), winner of the Scottish boys stroke play title at Nairn Dunbar three years ago, finished third on 290
Defending champion Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten) was in with a chance of filling second place until he signed off tieh a 77 for 294, the same total as Ben Kinsley (St Andrews) who finally got the hang of how to tackle the Jubilee with a closing 69.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
277 N Marsh (Huddersfield) 70 68 70 69
289 C Hill (Tantallon) 72 78 72 67
290 Josh Jamieson (St Andrews New) 74 73 71 72.
293  M Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy) 74 74 70 75, J Douglas (Aberdour) 73 78 71 71
294 R MacIntyre (Glencruitten) 71 75 71 77, B Kinsley (St Andrews) 71 76 78 69
295 J Rooney (West Lancs) 72 72 75 76
297 S Robins (Hull) 73 76 74 74, P Reilly (Kilmacolm) 70 80 71 76, J Wilson (Balmore) 73 76 75 73
298 W Aldred (Brocket Hall) 71 77 77 73,  A McDougall (St Andrews New) 72 77 77 72, J Ashman (Bognor Regis) 73 77 78 70
299 E Bowden (Tantallon) 80 72 75 72
300 W Porter (Carnoustie) 78 74 72 76, F Davren (Williamwood) 73 77 75 74, R Tinker (Strathmore) 72 79 75 75, C Fyfe (Cawder) 73 77 76 74, K McClatchie (Serengeti) 71 79 77 71
301 W Whiteoak (Shipley) 72 78 72 79, A Davidson (Charleton) 72 78 76 75, J Bryce (Bathgate) 76 74 81 70
302 S McCandless (Bathgate) 74 78 79 71,  A Stone (Lancaster) 77 72 74 79, C Kendall (Royal Lytham) 70 82 75 75
303 H Young-Alls (Ratcliffe on Trent) 72 76 78 77, C Howie (Peebles) 77 72 76 78, L Fenn (Dunbar) 77 74 78 74
304 R Patterson (Kilspindie) 73 76 83 82, M Martin (Ladbrook Park) 75 74 83 72, D McNeill (Powfoot) 77 75 76 76, A Carrick (Douglas Park) 78 71 80 75
305 C Maclean (Balmore) 72 76 80 77
306 P Coles (Frankfurt) 70 79 75 82,  J Holt (Wilpshire) 73 72 81 80
308 G Forrester (Lundin) 73 76 76 83, D Wilson (Troon Welbeck) 74 75 75 81, B Carnegie (Glenbervie) 77 75 77 79
309 S Burgess (Nairn) 72 80 73 84
311 S Wearing (Bishopbriggs) 73 77 82 79

MARSH EASES PAIN OF MISSING OUT ON OPEN

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE SGU
Yorkshire's Nick Marsh eased the disappointment of missing out on this week’s Open Championship by storming to success in the Golf Data Lab Scottish Youths Open Championship – joining a winners’ list that includes European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley.

Marsh marched to a 12-shot win over the Jubilee Course in St Andrews to add the Scottish to his Welsh Youths title triumph in 2012.

The men’s England team member was licking his wounds, having lost in a four-man play-off at Hillside last week to miss out on qualifying for a dream Open place at Hoylake.

But Marsh, who hails from Huddersfield, put the agony behind him to go one better on Scottish soil after finishing joint runner-up in the Carrick Neill Scottish Open Stroke Play at the start of last month.

The 19-year-old posted superb rounds of 70, 68, 70 and 69 for an 11-under-par total in Fife to leave the home players in his wake. Indeed, the next six places were filled by Scots, with defending champion Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten) sharing sixth on six over par.

Tantallon’s Calum Hill came through the field to finish as runner-up on one over par thanks to his impressive closing 67. Josh Jamieson, from the local New club in St Andrews, claimed third spot a stroke further back. 

“I love coming to St Andrews,” said Marsh, who has 2015 Walker Cup aspirations. “The course was in excellent condition and I played well all week, felt very comfortable on the greens. I could just roll the ball because the surfaces were so good.

“Fairways and greens was my game plan, even with a big lead, so I’m pleased to have stayed ahead and got the victory.”

First staged at Dalmahoy in 1979 and won by current European Seniors Tour player Andrew Oldcorn, the Scottish Youths Championship boasts an enviable list of past champions from its relatively short history. 

A young McGinley, the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain for Gleneagles in September, took the title when Ladybank and Glenrothes hosted the 1988 event, while recent European Tour graduate Jamie McLeary, Frenchman Gregory Bourdy and PGA Tour star Martin Laird were winners between 2000 and 2002.

Stephen Gallacher and Dean Robertson were both victorious in the 1990s and the previous two champions have been two of the country’s most promising youngsters in Ewan Scott (2012) and MacIntyre (2013).

 

> View final scores from the Golf Data Lab Scottish Youths Open Championship