The dark clouds were gathering but there was a silver lining for Liam Johnston as he notched a second international victory of the season in the Carrick Neill Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship at Western Gailes last night.
While the largely bright conditions on the Ayrshire coast started to give way to the kind of bleak, sombre scene you get in the press room when the golf writers realise the communal biscuits have ran out, Johnston stood firm amid the increasingly lively elements and closed with a level-par 71 for a nine-under 275 and a two stroke win over Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan. “It was a grind and after a about ten holes, the dark clouds were building and the wind must have picked up by about 10 mph,” said the Dumfries man as he savoured another notable triumph following his win in the African Amateur Championship back in March.
This latest conquest for the upwardly mobile Johnston also bridged a sizeable gap in this particular event for the Scots. Wallace Booth was the last home player to land the title at the Duke’s Course in 2008. In that time, the likes of English duo Tommy Fleetwood, who now has two European Tour wins to his name, and Andy Sullivan, a Ryder Cup player last year, have wandered off with the bounty but not one Scot.
This was a welcome success in one of the premier strokeplay events of the campaign. “It’s probably a better field than the African Championship so this will certainly be the biggest win of my career,” added Johnston after bolstering his hopes of earning a place in the GB&I team for this season’s Walker Cup. “I could channel the belief I got from winning in Africa into my play coming down the stretch here and that experience helped me stay calm. In the upper levels, it’s all about self-belief.”
Johnston went into the final 36-holes in a three-way tie at the top with fellow Scot, Craig Howie, and Australia’s David Micheluzzi. Howie looked to be slipping out of the running after playing 13 holes of his third round in three-over but he picked up an eagle and two birdies coming home to finish just one behind the leading pair of Johnston and Micheluzzi with 18 holes to play.
It was all decidedly nip-and-tuck but Johnston showed his steely resolve early in the final round when he recovered from a bogey on the second with a crucial birdie putt of some 25-feet from the front of the third green. “That was a bit of Brucie bonus but when I looked at it, I did quite fancy it to go in,” said Johnston.
Micheluzzi would slither out of contention on the back-nine and eventually signed for a 75 to drop into a share of third with Howie, who also leaked shots in the worsening conditions en route to a closing 74. “I didn’t actually know where I was standing playing the last few holes and just kept plodding on,” admitted Johnston of this no news is good news approach. “When my caddie said on the 17th ‘just play for the middle of the green’, I knew I was ok.”
On a profitable day for Scottish amateur golf, North Berwick’s Clara Young overcame an international field to win the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews.
The 20-year-old, who won the Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship title in 2015, added another prestigious crown to her impressive cv with rounds of 67, 72 and 71 for a 16-under aggregate of 210 and won by a shot from Australia’s Montana Strauss.
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