Ferguson Amateur Golfer of Year as North duo Godsman and Scott Win Orders of Merit

  SGU NEWS RELEASE

Ewen Ferguson, who will play for GB and I in the Walker Cup this weekend, has been crowned the Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year, with North pair Kyle Godsman and Sandy Scott winning the respective SGU Men’s and Boys’ Order of Merit titles.

Thanks to finishing as the leading Scot on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) at last Friday’s cut off point (44^th), Bearsden teenager Ferguson has secured the Amateur Golfer of the Year accolade.

Ferguson, who won the Boys Amateur Championship in 2013 and added the Scottish Boys and Scottish Boys Stroke Play titles last year to become the first player to hold all three trophies, has enjoyed an impressive first full season at Men’s level.

The 19-year-old started the season in 289^th place on the WAGR, but soon climbed after strong finishes as part of the SGU performance programme in South Africa and his first Men’s 72-hole strokeplay victories at the Scottish Champion of Champions and the Craigmillar Park Open.

Ferguson also achieved top-five finishes at the Irish Open Amateur and the Carrick Neill Scottish Stroke Play, before playing his part in Scotland’s European Amateur Team Championship triumph and qualifying for the US Amateur Championship.

He had no shortage of rivals to fend off for the title with a record eight Scots currently populating the top 100 on the WAGR, Scotland’s best representation since WAGR went live in 2007. Amateur finalist Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) was just behind Ferguson in 48^th place, with Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) and Kilmarnock Barassie’s Jack McDonald 61^st and 72^nd respectively. 

Ferguson joins a Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year roll of honour that features the likes of Andrew Coltart, Dean Robertson, Richie Ramsay, Michael Stewart and Bradley Neil, last year’s double Amateur Golfer of the Year and Men’s Order of Merit winner.

“I’m absolutely delighted to win Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year,” said Ewen, coached by Gregor Monks and supported by the national coaching structure. 

“I remember when Michael Stewart won it in 2011 and I was thinking it must be so cool to win the award. Some very good names have won it before and it’s great to think that I will always be on that list.” 

Ferguson, who will join Forrest and McDonald at Royal Lytham & St Annes for the Walker Cup, added: “You want to try and win as many things as you can domestically. To be the top amateur in Scotland has always been a goal and it’s brilliant to fulfil it.”

Meantime, Godsman and Scott are celebrating a unique double after two players from the North won the Men’s and Boys’ Orders of Merit for the first time. 

Moray’s Godsman reeled off six top-10 finishes from 12 appearances, including victory in the North East Open, to beat Drumoig’s Connor Syme, a European Team winner with Scotland, and Jeff Wright (Forres) to the title.

Godsman, 24, said: “Winning the Order of Merit is a little unexpected, but I had a strong second half to the year where I picked up my first 72-hole success after going close a couple of times. 

“It’s a great honour and achievement to win the Order of Merit, during a strong year for Scottish amateur golf, with three players in the Walker Cup this weekend. I was consistent last year too, so managed to build on that.  

"There is a lot of travelling for me, driving up and down the A9, so it definitely makes it all worthwhile at the end of the year.

“It’s also a nice achievement for golf in the North, which is quite good just now, with Sandy and Rory Franssen coming through at Boys’ level, and Jeff third in the Men’s Order of Merit as well.” 

Scott burst onto the scene this summer with a purple patch of three wins in the space of just 40 days – the Stephen Gallacher Foundation Trophy, East of Scotland Championship and the Scottish Boys Stroke Play. The 17-year-old, coached by Scottish Golf Academy Coach David Torrance, topped the rankings by over 300 points from last year’s winner, Cawder’s Calum Fyfe, and recently tasted more success after helping GB&I retain the Jacques Leglise Trophy.

Scott, from Nairn, said: “It’s a good end to the season. I wasn’t thinking about the Order of Merit coming into the year, but I performed consistently in a lot of events to rack up the points.

“I’ve just tried to play as many events as possible and gain experience and points. It’s been a great year for me and one I will look back on proudly. Hopefully I can keep progressing.”