Lanarkshire under pressure in title defence at Newmachar

SCOTTISH GOLF NEWS RELEASE

Having watched their younger counterparts already do the double in 2017, Lanarkshire’s senior side are bidding to do likewise when the GolfKings Scottish Men’s Area Team Championship takes place at Newmachar this weekend  (Friday to Sunday, September 8 to 10).

“We’re under pressure, with the Boys securing two-in-a-row at the Area Team Championship at Stranraer back in June,” said Willie Sharpe, Lanarkshire’s team captain. “Hopefully we can rise to the challenge too.”

At Dalmahoy 12 months ago, a jubilant Lanarkshire claimed the Men’s title for the first time since 1998, as Drumpellier’s Steven Rennie held his nerve in the final match on the final green.

Now Newmachar is to welcome a talented field from the 16 Area Associations, as they prepare to fight for the coveted crown over the excellent Hawkshill and Swailend courses.

Rennie returns for Lanarkshire in the north-east, along with his title-winning team-mates Ed Wood (Crow Wood), Gordon Yates (Colville Park) and Dominic Dougan (Drumpellier). A third Drumpellier player joins their line-up this year, with former Tour pro and Walker Cup player Graham Rankin looking forward to the challenge, alongside Boys’ internationalist Lewis Irvine from Kirkhill.

“I think we’ve another very good team this year,” added Sharpe. “Last year was seen as a shock in some eyes, but we have excellent players across the Area playing off low handicaps. Graham, who won the Lanarkshire Order of Merit this season, has been desperate to play in this event and we certainly hope to qualify for the knockout stages.”

Each Area is represented by their leading six male amateur players, competing in a stroke play qualifying format over each course, with the top eight teams qualifying for the match play stages.

A strong Lothians challenge will be led by the last four winners on the Scottish Golf Men’s Order of Merit circuit – Euan McIntosh (Turnhouse), Kieran Cantley (Liberton), Stuart McLaren (Bruntsfield Links) and Benn McLeod (Musselburgh) – while Glasgow will fancy their chances with former GB and I boys cap Calum Fyfe (Cawder) among their number.
 The North-East bid is bolstered by home club member Christopher Lamb in their ranks, as the host Area aim to win their first team championship since 2010 with a line-up that included current Challenge Tour player David Law.

While Connor Syme and Robert MacIntyre are flying the flag for GB and I at this weekend’s Walker Cup in the US, other established names who tee up include Stonehaven’s Sam Locke, the Scottish Men’s Amateur champion, and six-time Home Internationalist Matt Clark from Kilmacolm.

First played for in 1977, the championship’s history has been dominated by the Lothians with 13 titles, with Fife winning two of the last six, including a win on home soil at Crail Golfing Society in 2013. Renfrewshire were champions in 2014 and Ayrshire the victors a year later.

Located on the outskirts of Aberdeen, Newmachar offers a superb test with the Hawkshill course a host to major championships, including the Scottish Professional Championship and the Scottish Seniors Open.

The event is sponsored by Glasgow-based GolfKings, one of the UK’s leading golf holiday specialists and partners of Scottish Golf since 2013. The company continues to be a popular choice for the country’s golfers when booking good quality golf holidays at competitive prices across the world.

Managing Director John Semple said: “We are looking forward to supporting the Scottish Area Team Championship at Newmachar in what will be our fifth year of sponsoring the event. It provides a great platform for raising awareness of the holiday services we offer and we get fantastic feedback from golf club members all over Scotland.

“Throughout the year we provide fantastic packages to UK golfers for countries such as Spain, Portugal, Turkey and others, all popular destinations for the thousands looking to get some overseas golf with holidays designed by golfers for golfers.”

To find out more about GolfKings exclusive offers and tailored golf travel packages, visit golfkings.co.uk

> View the draw for the GolfKings Scottish Men’s Area Team Championship