McDonald inspires Ayrshire

Amateur star Jack leads from the front as his side claims third Scottish Area Team title

Walker Cup hopeful Jack McDonald helped inspire Ayrshire to victory in the GolfKings Scottish Area Team Championship at Blairgowrie.

Former Scottish Amateur ‘Golfer of the Year’ McDonald, on top form all week, contributed two wins from both his matches in his side’s final with Dumbartonshire, teaming-up with Turnberry golfer Scott Brown to see off Steven Stewart and James Wilson 5&4, before taking down former British Boys champion Ewen Ferguson by a 3&2 scoreline in the opening match of the singles.

Ayrshire ultimately ran out 5.5-3.5 winners, taking the title for just the third time in the competition’s 38-year history. Their previous victories came in 1986 and 2008.

Afterwards, hero of the hour McDonald admitted he was thrilled to have been part of the winning side.

 “I had played well coming in here, after good finishes at Royal Lytham and in Ireland, and I played well again this week,” said the University of Stirling Applied Maths graduated.

“I’ve just been solid and the course tends to suit me.

“It’s nice to win as part of a team, especially as I don’t get to see these guys a lot. It’s been great to play with them and have a good week.”

On his final tussle with fellow Walker Cup hopefully Ferguson, McDonald added: “I had a fair idea myself and Ewen would end up playing each other and it was a good match.”

With the ten-man Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team set to be announced later in the summer, McDonald said he was hopeful that his recent performances had caught the eye of GB&I captain Nigel Edwards but added that he isn’t taking anything for granted and knows he needs to maintain his good form.

“I’ll just keep plugging away, try my best and see how it all pans out,” he said. “Hopefully, my game keeps improving during the season.

“We had a dinner get-together down at Lytham during the Lytham Trophy, briefly talking about the event, so we’ll see what happens.”

Elsewhere in the final, Prestwick St Cuthbert’s Stuart Robin and Irvine golfer John Shanks also picked up two wins out of two.

They teamed-up to take down Chris MacLean and George Duncan in the morning, before accounting for Angus Carrick and James Wilson in their respective singles matches. Scott Brown, meanwhile, added a half in his singles match with Duncan.

The Lothians, meanwhile, have reclaimed the Scottish Boys’ Area Team Championship, taking the title at Tulliallan.

The team comprising Murray Naysmith, Christopher Curran, Joseph Bryce and Kieran Cantley posted a 364 total, which was five shots better than Lanarkshire could manage, with the South a further five shots back in third.

Meanwhile, Glasgow, winners of the title for the past two years, had to make do with fourth.

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