The worst case scenario after all the hype was a first match defeat, but the two favourites at the Scottish Boys Championship did not entertain that thought for a moment at Monifieth.
Bradley Neil, the second seed from Blairgowrie, blazed through 9 and 8 one short of the maximum because he only halved the sixth hole to defeat Jack Purdie from Largs.
His friend and rival Ewan Scott had a first round bye, but duly won his first game of the championship in the second round, winning 6 and 5 over Calum Morrison (Inverurie).
The ideal scenario for neutrals is that the two will face off in Saturday’s 36-hole final but both are wise beyond their tender years to know that doesn’t happen that often in these events.
While required to play only the minimum number of holes possible in an 18-hole matchplay contest, it was not enough to turn the head of the usually blithely confident Bradley, who blazed through the early rounds on his way to the quarter-finals last year before losing to Ewan there.
“I played only 76 holes in the first five rounds last year and wasn’t taken beyond the 15th,” he recalled.
“I’m a year older, a year stronger and more experienced, but in this format you’ve got to take each game at a time because there’s a lot of good players here. You never know what the `randoms’ will do and nobody wants to be the first seed out of the championship.
“The last couple of days I’ve been a bit anxious and desperate to get started, but now I’ve got into the week competitively this has given me a lot of confidence.”
Bradley had three birdies at the fifth, eighth and ninth while poor Purdie was overwhelmed, only 15 and in his first championship.
“I remember that feeling in 2009 when I played (then top seed) Jack McDonald at West Kilbride,” sympathised the victor.
Ewan, having had a day off thanks to his unexpected bye, cruised through rather than blazing like his friend, going ahead of Morrison at the second and picking up birdies at the seventh and 13th.
“There were a few loose shots out there, but it was good to get started,” said the St Andrean, who spent most of the winter in international departure lounges on his way to events and admits to actually having to re-acclimatise himself to home conditions.
“When it was really cold last week I felt it was a good idea to get out and play even just a few holes, because I knew what conditions would be like,” he explained.
Scott’s more serene style of progress worked to his advantage last year, when Bradley’s early successes translated to their quarter-final as he went four up after just five holes, only to be slowly reeled in by Ewan until Scott won the contest on the final green.
Ewan went on to the final to lose to Craig Howie’s incredible putting display, but he knows what it takes to go all the way.
“I had a few tough games which went to the wire last year and I think you have to realise that they’re going to happen and be ready for it when they happen,” he said.
Bradley takes on Adam Fisher, Inchmarlo, in his second round tie and potentially faces a third round tie in the gloaming, while Ewan has just one match today, against Murray McCrone (Troon Wellbeck).