Fergie wins Craigmillar Park 

Open play-off against Syme

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Bearsden's Ewen Ferguson is not in the Walker Cup provisional squad - yet! Back to back victories in the first two big events of the Scottish amateur season - the Champion of Champions at Leven last weekend  and the Craigmillar Park Open this weekend - are surely going to rectify his omission.
The 18-year-old former British boys champion and last year's Scottish boys match-play and stroke-play champion has stepped up from junior golf and showed he is certainly made of the right stuff - if there was any doubt at all - when he beat Connor Syme (Drumoig) with a birdie at the third extra hole to win a Craigmillar Park Open in which he roared to the front past a faltering Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) to take the third round lead
But Fergie could not shake off the dogged challenge of Syme, twice winner of the Paul Lawrie Scottish schoolboys title.
In his final round of 69 for four-under-par 276, Ferguson birdied the third, fourth, eighth and 10th but a double bogey at the ninth and other shots shed at the sixth, 12th and 14th opened the door for Syme to catch him with a 67 which had birdies at the third, 11th, 14th and 16th .. and, the big difference, only one bogey, at the 15th.
But if the supporters of Syme whose pro father Stuart gave up his Dumfries and County Golf Club post to buy the Drumoig Golf Centre, Fife, thought that Ferguson had shot his bolt, they had another think coming.
The Bearsden teenager regrouped and made no mistakes in the play-off which he won with that birdie putt at the third extra hole.

Ferguson said later: “It was mentally and physically draining out there. I’m so happy to get the job done and kept my head high when things weren’t going my way.
“It was tough to beat one of my best friends in Connor in the play-off, but I owed him one after he turned me over in the South African Amateur a year ago!”
 
Glenbervie's Graeme Robertson, who IS one 
of the Scots in the provisional GB and I squad for the Walker Cup match against the Americans at Royal Lytham and St Annes later this year, finished third, three shots behind Ferguson and Syme after a closing 68 for 279.
Former Scottish amateur champion Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) led at halfway but a third-round 78 knocked him off his perch and too far off the pace to make up the leeway again over the final 18 holes. But Barry kept trying and closed with a respectable 71 for 287.
Craig Howie, the 2013 winner from Peebles, finished fourth with a 67 for 280.
Defending champion Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire), saved his best until last with a fourth-round 68 for 285 and a joint 12th finish.
Best last round was a four-under-par 66 by Alistair Thurlow (Murrayfield) for 289.
The Craigmillar Park Open was the first event in the SGU's 72-hole Order of Merit tournaments. The Champion of Champions, because it is not an "open event," is not on the list.
The second Order of Merit event is the Battle Trophy, organised by the Crail Golfing Society next weekend

 FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) SS 68 CSS 71 71 71 71

276 Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) 71 70 66 69, Connor Syme (Drumoig) 69 73 67 67 (Ferguson won play-off at third extra hole.
279 Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 75 69 67 68
280 Craig Howie (Peebles) 72 69 72 67
281 Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) 72 68 73 68
282 Jamie Savage (Cawder)    73 71 70 68
283 Craig Chalmers (Cawder) 70 69 70 74
284 Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) 72 70 73 69, Jordyn Rhind (Kingsfield) 72 73 68 71, Mike Howard (Royal Birkdale) 72 70 70 72, Kyle Godsman (Moray) 68 74 70 72
285 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 73 70 74 68, Jeff Wright (Forres) 73 72 71 69, Benn McLeod (Musselburgh) 71 72 69 73
286 Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 73 70 71 72, Darren Watson (Cruden Bay) 72 72 71 71, Scott Gibson (Southerness) 73 76 70 67
287 Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) 68 70 78 71
288 Barry Reid (Caledonian) 71 72 71 74
289 Adam Fisher (Newmachar) 78 70 70 71, Alastair Thurlow (Murrayfield) 79 70 74 66
290 Colin     Edgar (Cochrane Castle) 74    73 74 69, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 74 74 72 70, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 73 75 73 69
291 Alex    Robertson (Craigmillar Park)    71 72 75 73, Hugh Nelson (Kilsyth Lennox) 70 73 76 72
292 Michael Bacigalupo (Longniddry) 71 75 75 71, Ryan Campbell (Falkirk Carmuirs)    77 72 73 70, Sandy Scott (Nairn) 70 76 74 72
293 Andy Utterson    (Craigmillar Park) 74 74 73 72, Jack Harling (Banchory) 75 69 79 70
296 Jamie Lamb (Lanark) 76 71 76 73, Nick Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 79 69 71 77, Sean McGarvey (Glencorse) 78 71 77 70, Sean Heads (Hexham) 73 75 76  72
297 Jackson Berry    (Torwoodlee) 75 74 73 75
298 Paul    Gault (Haggs Castle) 74 75 73 76
300 James Bunch (Prestwick) 78 70 80 72
303 Marc Owenson (Longniddry) 71 76 80 76
Withdrew: Greig Marchbank (Thornhill) 73 75 74 wd

+Colin Farquharson footnote: Without the service of information and scores from Mary Richardson and the picture of the winner with the trophy from John Ingram, Scottishgolfview.com's service from the Craigmillar Park Open would have been fairly low key. Many, many thanks to Mary and John.