GRANT GOES FOR DOUBLE ON HOME TURF

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Craigielaw’s Grant Forrest will have home course advantage to count on when his bid to add the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship to this year’s national match play title gets underway in East Lothian tomorrow (20 – 22 July).
The 17-year-old, who defeated Ian Redford in the final of the Scottish Boys Championship at West Kilbride in April, will be eyeing a unique treble having also won the Scottish Boys Area Team Championship last month with Lothians. Forrest’s home club of Craigielaw provides the setting for this week’s event, making the Scottish Boys’ internationalist strong favourite to add to his burgeoning trophy collection.
Scott Henry, who went on to win the Scottish Men’s Stroke Play Championship at Craigielaw, was the last player to achieve the ‘double’ back in 2004, while Forrest’s former club mates Lloyd Saltman and Shaun McAllister have also won the event, making the omens good for the Craigielaw youngster.
Among his challengers will be Kilmarnock Barassie’s Jack McDonald, the defending champion and the player Forrest beat in the semi-finals of the match play.
The young Ayrshireman birdied three of the final four holes to take the title at Ladybank twelve months ago and will be aiming to become the first golfer since European Tour star Stephen Gallacher in 1991-92 to win back-to-back titles in the event.
SGU Boys Order of Merit leader Simon Fairburn is also a member of the Craigielaw club and the Borders star goes into the event in fine form, with three junior circuit wins under his belt already this season. Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) is another likely contender, having successfully defended his national U14s title last week fresh from finishing runner-up in the Scottish Boys U16s Championship the previous day.
As well as many of Scotland’s best young prospects, the 144-strong field features players from Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and Germany, with the leading forty players and ties qualifying from Thursday’s final two rounds.
Scoring from the Championship will be featured on the SGU’s website, http://www.scottishgolf.org/