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Euan McIntosh, Stewart and Bell Secure Order of Merit Titles

 

SCOTTISH GOLF NEWS RELEASE

The trio of Euan McIntosh, Jamie Stewart and Graham Bell are celebrating success after winning their respective domestic Order of Merit titles in 2016.

Turnhouse’s McIntosh, 47, pictured, has turned the clock black to storm to victory in the men’s standings, while Stewart, 16, from Old Course Ranfurly, won a closely-fought battle for the boys’ crown, beating Scottish boys’ champion Eric McIntosh by just six points.

Downfield’s Bell, 57, meantime, came on top in his Senior Men’s contest with fellow European Senior Team champion Ronnie Clark. The Girls’, Women’s and Senior Women’s Orders of Merit will be finalised in the coming weeks when their fixture lists are completed.

Former professional McIntosh, who only returned to Scotland in April after 20 years away, put the seal on his remarkable comeback year by winning the closing event, the South East District Open at Royal Musselburgh, by eight strokes – his first amateur victory since 2002. 

McIntosh had previously posted five top-five results in 2016, helping him achieve a men’s home internationals cap for the first time since 1989.

With 577 points, he finished well clear of second-placed Matthew Clark from Kilmacolm (426 points), with Craigielaw’s Grant Forrest third on 412. McIntosh credits his renaissance to a new-found love for the game and the coaching of Colin Brooks, based at the Braid Hills Golf Centre in Edinburgh.

“I quit playing for 10 years,”  admitted McIntosh. “I started again last summer and it wasn’t good, to be honest. I just got the bug back for it. I started playing away and never really expected anything, but it’s obviously gone pretty well. Colin Brooks has been fantastic with me at Braid Hills, brilliant.

“You never know until you are in the heat of the battle, but I’ve loved it. I’m enjoying competing again, especially against the young guys. I played pro golf for 12 years at various levels, played with a lot of good players, so I’ve had the experience.”

McIntosh has stormed from outside the top 500 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking to a new high of 107th following his South East District Open win, now setting his sights on more success in bigger amateur events in 2017.

He added:  “I didn’t have a world ranking at the start of the year, but I’m now just outside the top 100, so let’s see if we can improve further and see how far we can go next year.”

Meantime, Stewart was relieved to hold off the challenge of Eric McIntosh and another boys’ international, Rory Franssen, to lift the boys' merit title.

The Renfrewshire player enjoyed a hugely consistent year, posting eight top-10 finishes across boys’ and men’s events, and earned GB and I team honours by playing in the Jacques Leglise Trophy.

“I just managed to finish ahead of Eric,” said Stewart. “It was always going to be close and I sneaked it in the end. It really is just one shot. After playing for GB&I and getting that experience this year, this caps my year off. It was one of my goals at the start of the year to win it.

“Next year I’m probably going to play more men’s events, so it’s a relief, more than anything, to win it in the end. There has been good rivalry among us all this year so it’s great to come out on top.”

Elsewhere, Bell is celebrating his best year in the amateur ranks after ending the title hopes of the defending champion, Clark. Bell finished just 26 points clear of Erskine’s Clark following his tie for top spot in last week’s Order of Merit Finals Day at Blairgowrie.

He said: “It’s great to win. It was me and Ronnie in the hunt, really, and me managing to tie for first at Blairgowrie allowed to me to get just enough points to overtake him.

“It’s been a great few days, winning the Senior Team title with Scotland in Slovenia and now the Order of Merit. The more you can play in these merit events the better chance you have, and fortunately for me I’ve been able to play more than I have in the past. I was runner-up in the Senior Amateur Championship this year too at Formby, losing a play-off, so it’s without a doubt the best season I’ve had.”