Connor Syme and Craig Howie were unbeatable as a pairing for Scotland but one of them has to beat the other in this morning’s quarter-finals of the Scottish Amateur at Royal Aberdeen.
The two 21-year-olds won all their games for Scotland in the European team Championship in France two weeks ago, both staying unbeaten in singles as well as the Scots won the prestigious trophy for the second year in succession.
Syme’s progress has been near seamless in reaching the last eight for the first time but he now comes up against his friend who fought off the dangerous Euan McIntosh after being two-down.
Both felt the change in conditions at Royal Aberdeen yesterday – at last the prevailing wind off the left and against on the back nine – favoured them.
“It definitely makes things trickier and means you absolutely have to keep the ball in play,” said Syme, a 3 and 2 winner over Irvine’s Stuart Easton meaning that he’s in the last 16 of the Scottish for the first time.
“The fourth round has always been the obstacle, I lost there three times in a row, so it’s nice to get over that hump,” he said. “But it wasn’t the particular target this week, I’ve just be focusing on getting through every game rather aiming at a round.”
Howie has followed last year’s consistent campaign with an even better one this season, enough to get him into the Scotland six-man team for France where he didn’t lose a match.
Yesterday afternoon he won three holes in a row form the 15th to turn his match against the veteran McIntosh, now 47 and back in the Scotland international squad with Howie and Syme after a 27 year gap.
“It’ll feel strange to play against Connor after we played and won so many games a couple of weeks ago, but I guess something has to give,” said Howie.
From Peebles, Howie won a Scottish Boys title over the fence at Murcar and hopes his affinity with this stretch of land continues. “The North East’s certainly been good to me so far in my career,” said the Stirling University student.
Robert MacIntyre, the Amateur finalist, showed signs of hitting his straps after a testing week so far when he pulled away from Graeme Robertson, the 2014 beaten finalist at Downfield, who is looking to win back his international place.
MacIntyre admitted to having lost his game playing for GB&I in the St Andrews Trophy last week, but found it again when the wind got up at Balgownie.
“I’ve been waiting for that prevailing wind, off the left on the back nine because it’s one of the few times that it really favours left-handers like me,” he said after beating Robertson 4 and 3.
He faces a real case of Beware The Injured Golfer in his friend Alasdair McDougall who was rushed to A&E on Thursday with an abcess but has come through five rounds.
The 21-year-old was going to pull out and didn’t quite know if he could play when he rolled up on Monday, but after finding a few practice swings didn’t irritate his dressed wound and restrict him, he’s progressed perfectly well.
“I had a general anaesthetic and spent two days at home after coming out of hospital, but I came up just to have a go, and it’s worked out well,” he said.
Confusion reigned at the conclusion of the second last 16 game between Nairn’s Andrew Burgess and the host club’s Mark Halliday, with the multiple-times Royal Aberdeen club champion turning on his heel for the 19th hole only to see Burgess offering his hand.
An error on the scoreboards at the seventh had Halliday believing he was one better than he actually was, the pair going through the chronology of holes together on the 18th green before the older man realised his error.
“I’d made a mess of the seventh and headed straight for the next tee not speaking to the scorer, so maybe that’s where the confusion started,” said Burgess.
“Myself and Sean (his caddying brother) were certain of the situation the whole way round but you don’t really check with your opponent in tight games like that.”
Halliday admitted that he’d lost track of the scoreline, and the chances of an all-Royal Aberdeen quarter-final had vanished almost simultaneously as Fintan McKenna, the 18-year-old who’d already ousted club mate Steven Buchan, lost his ball on the 19th against Forres’ Jeff Wright, who will now meet Burgess.
In the final match of the last 16, fatigue finally caught up with Portlethen left-hander Ben Murray who lost on the last green to George Duncan of Windyhill.
If the seven-round schedule in the Scottish was not hard enough, Murray played a medal at his home club BEFORE his second round tie at Royal Aberdeen on Wednesday, winning that match and then his third round tie later in the day against Kyle Reid.
Fourth round results: F McKenna (Royal Aberdeen) bt S Buchan (Royal Aberdeen) 1 hole; J Wright (Forres) bt M Watt (Inverallochy) 5 and 4; A Burgess (Nairn) bt C Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 4 and 2; M Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) bt V Hume (Haggs Castle) 3 and 2; C Syme (Drumoig) bt G Munro (Newmachar) 5 and 4; S Easton (Irvine) bt K Godsman (Moray) 4 and 2; E McIntosh (Turnhouse) bt C Stephen (Aboyne) 1 hole; C Howie (Peebles) bt J Harling (Banchory) 1 hole; A McDougall (Elderslie) bt C Hill (Tantallon) 2 and 1; A Gibson (Blairgowrie) bt F Carr (Crail GS) 1 hole; G Robertson (Glenvbervie) bt W Porter (Carnoustie) 4 and 3; R MacIntyre (Glencruitten) bt A Davidson (Charleton) 4 and 2; M Pennycott (Royal Burgess) bt S Scott (Nairn) 2 and 1; W Walker (Belton Park) bt J Stewart (Old Course Ranfurly) 3 and 1; G Duncan (Windyhill) bt C Morrison (Haggs Castle) 4 and 3; B Murray (Portlethen) bt R Paterson (Kilspindie) 2 and 1.
Fifth Round: Wright bt McKenna at the 19th; Burgess bt Halliday 1 hole; Syme bt Easton 3 and 2; Howie bt McIntosh 2 holes; McDougall bt Gibson 4 and 3; MacIntyre bt Robertson 4 and 3; Pennycott bt Walker 3 and 2; Duncan bt Murray 2 holes.
