Race To The Machrie final turns into survival of the fittest
The going certainly got tough in The Race To The Machrie final on Sunday when Gullane’s Samuel Mukherjee stood up to be counted as he beat a high-class field to win by three shots.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
In the final round, high winds and persistent rain tested the players to the limit at the remote Isle of Islay venue and the talented Lothians junior overcame the shock of a quintuple bogey nine at the fifth to finish well clear of Archie Finnie (Royal Burgess Golfing Society) and Deeside’s Callum Bruce.
The 36-hole event, being played for the third time, is the culmination of five qualifying events from three prominent Scottish junior competitons – The Paul Lawrie Foundation, Stephen Gallacher Foundation and Barrie Douglas Foundation.
The top two boys and winning girl from each of those events qualified as well as the top four boys and top two girls from the three foundations/Race to The Machrie Order of Merit who had not previously qualified. Also the top two boys and leading girls from the Scottish Golf Order of Merit, as of August 19th, made it in.
Mukherjee, who qualified by finishing second at the Stephen Gallacher Trophy in June, took inspiration from the fightback of Rasmus Hojgaard, who was six over after three holes in the third round of the DP World Tour French Open, the Dane eventually carding a three-over score on Saturday.
“In the first round I birdied four of the final six holes so I knew, if I stayed patient, there were opportunities for me,” said the 16-year-old, whose twin brother Oliver won the Scottish Amateur Championship at the end of July.
“I had also seen what Rasmus Hojgaard had done after that terrible start and I wanted to do the same thing.”
Halfway leader Mukherjee, who was one clear of Bruce going into the final day, lost two balls at the fourth to leave himself four behind his playing partner from Deeside.
Both challengers then bogeyed the seventh but the lead was halved at the next as Bruce, who was part of the victorious North East Boys team, blocked two drives into trouble up the right although Mukherjee found his first ball.
The North East player would still end up taking a six and then at the tenth both boys struggled as Mukherjee fluffed a chip having gone long with his second while Bruce recorded another double and his lead was down to one.
Standing on the 12th tee they were level pegging as Mukherjee just missed a good birdie opportunity while his opponent dropped his sixth shot in the space of five holes.
And the Lothians star, one of six Gullane Boys in the field, went ahead at the long par four 13th where the players were able to enjoy some respite with the wind howling straight into their backs.
Mukherjee had just a wedge in and stuck it to three feet and then he was able to enjoy some breathing space after 15, which was played back into the wind. On day one the leader hit drive and wedge but 24 hours later required a five iron to find the middle of the green while Bruce succumbed to the elements and dropped another shot.
Seventeen was also testing the players to the limit and while the Gullane junior found the edge of the green in two before three putting, Bruce struggled to escape the thick stuff and would end up carding another double bogey.
Both players birdied the par five last but by then it was all over while Finnie finished strongly to post a closing 75 and grab a share of second.
A day earlier the eventual champion opened with a one-under-par 71. On the back of double bogeying the 12th, he birdied 13, 15, 17 and 18 to register the only sub-par round of the day.
Meanwhile in the girls event there was a tie at the top with Maverston’s Summer Elliott and Scottish Girls champion Freya Russell (Royal Troon) both finishing on seven over, a total which was eight better than than third-placed Ruby Watt (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre).
In the play-off, Highlands youngster Elliott triumphed at the first extra hole.