Daniel Trophy comes from eight shots in 

arrears to win Battle Trophy
 
By Bernie McGuire, Crail
(Secretary, Association of Golf Writers)
Craigiehill's Daniel Young has now set his sights on Walker Cup selection later this year after coming from eight shots behind to capture the 2015 Battle Trophy at Crail today.

Young, who is also the reigning South African Amateur champion, shot a final round five under par 67 in bright but windy conditions to win by a shot with a nine under par 272 total on the Craighead Links course.
Young's good friend Connor Syme, who had led the event for three rounds, posted a disappointing 7while current British Amateur title-holder Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) posted a 72 for both to share second place on eight under par.
"I am very pleased with my final round as I made a lot of birdies and that's what I said to myself going out in the fourth round," said Young who spent four years playing on the US college golf circuit and won the Cameron Corbett Vase SGU Order of Merit tournament in 2013
"I thought if I could do that it might put a little bit of pressure on the guys behind me.
"I noticed that Connor had struggled in the third round and his score did open the door a little bit but again he was still eight shots ahead of me with a round to play.
"So I had to go out and post a really good score. My target was 10-under par and I thought if I could get to 10-under par that might be good enough".
The 23-year old Young was competing in the event for a second straight occasion and had fond memories of a year ago in setting a then new course record of an eight under par 64 on the last day before being overhauled by Kilmarnock Brassie's Jack McDonald who lowered the mark with a 63.
Young arrived at Crail Golfing Society not only on the back of his stunning success in winning the South African Amateur trophy in Johannesburg but he was runner-up in the recent SGU Scottish Champion of Champions at Leven and shared eighth place in last week's Craigmillar Park Open Championship.
His next event will be next fortnight's Lytham Trophy and co-incidentally the 2015 Walker Cup is to be staged later this year on the same course.
And it's qualifying automatically for the GB amd I Walker Cup team that is now very much on Young's golfing horizon.
"I'm not in the (provisional) Walker Cup squad but after this Battle Trophy win and some good results in recent weeks it's getting more and more that way.
"It was something in the back of my mind but then I knew I needed to keep winning and I've taken another big step this week here at Crail in capturing the Battle Trophy.
"My next event is the Lytham Trophy where they're playing the Walker Cup this year so to win the South African Amateur title and to win here in Crail is certainly going to do my Walker Cup chances good."
Neil was returning to competition for a first time since the high of contesting last week's Masters at Augusta National.
The 19-year old had posted a superb first round 66 before a pair of 71s.
However Neil could look back to three-putt bogeys at the par four 16th and then at the last on day four as pivotal in not securing victory at Crail.
"I am a little disappointed of course to come up one stroke short of forcing a play-off," he said.
"But then in the bigger picture a share of second is a good confidence lift going forward to the other events I will contest this year."
Among those events are invitations into next month's Jack Nicklaus hosted PGA Tour Memorial event in Ohio and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open later in May and being hosted by World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
In fact, McIlroy had spoken with Neil during a Monday practice round at Augusta National in the young Scot teeing-up at Royal County Down.
Syme was among the first to congratulate Young but was left disappointed in shooting a third round 73 after having stormed his way to 13-under par with earlier rounds of 64 and 67.
Drumoig-based Syme then rounded off his Battle Trophy campaign with a 76.
FINAL TOTALS
par 288 (4x72)
279 Daniel Young (Craighiehill) 71 71 70 67
280 Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) 66 71 71 72, Connor Syme (Drumoig) 64 67 73 76
281 Greig Marchbank (Thornhill) 70 70 70 71
283 Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) 68 70 74 71
285 Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 70 71 71 73, S Gibson (Southerness) 73 72 72 68
288 Jeff Wright (Forres) 69 75 72 72
291 Fraser Davren (Williamwood) 69 69 75 78, Henry Tomlinson (Royal Lytham) 68 73 75 75
292 James Bunch (Prestwick) 71 75 72 74.
294 Ryan White (Leven GS) 70 72 74 78, Andrew Davidson (Charleton) 73 73 77 71, Darren Watson (Cruden Bay) 73 69 78 74, Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton) 72 72 78 72, Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 68 71 79 76
295 Marco Iten (Rheinblick) 77 71 73 74, Luke Robinson (Bundoran) 72 74 75 74, Steven Aitken (Leven GS) 70 77 75 73, Jamie Savage (Cawder) 69 77 76 73
296 Scott Robertson (Hazlehead) 69 72 80 75
298 Fraser Carr (Crail) 73 70 76 79, Chris Maclean (Balmore) 74 73 76 75, Scott Grant (Downfield) 74 73 76 75, Allan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 75 70 77 76
300 Malcolm Pennycott (Whiting Bay, Arran) 73 72 81 74, Olive4r Roberts (Hong Kong0 70 71 83 76.
301 Colin Edgar (Cochrane Castle) 73 74 78 76, John Mathers (Haggs Castle) 78 68 79 76, Angus Carrick (Douglas Park) 71 73 79 78
302 Michael Bacigalupo (Longniddry) 74 74 77 77, Sandy Scott (Nairn) 74 74 78 76, James A Wilson (Balmore) 71 75 79 77
303 A Moir jun (Thornton) 76 70 79 78, Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 74 72 80 77
306 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 74 74 77 81, Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh) 76 73 80 77
308 Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) 71 72 82 83
314 Jack Harling (Banchory) 77 72 81 84
Withdrew: Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie)