Paterson soars to Scottish Boys title with help of eagles

St Andrews player’s best round seals win

John Paterson’s two final round eagles – and it was almost three – lifted the 17-year-old from St Andrews to the Scottish Boys Strokeplay title in a dramatic final round on the Monifieth Medal yesterday.

The Madras College pupil started the final round five strokes behind championship favourite Jamie Stewart but his two early eagles on the first and eighth got him in a share of the lead and he saw a third eagle chance at the 18th agonisingly slip wide of the hole.

That left the young New Club member believing he was going to miss out on the title by a shot but instead Stewart, after playing so solidly for a three-shot lead on the field going into the final round, hit the buffers with bogeys at the 12th and 13th.

When Stewart needed a birdie up the long 18th to force extra holes, he instead could only manage a bogey five to give Paterson a two-shot win.

The Scotland squad member’s 67 was fittingly the best round of the week at Monifieth for a one under aggregate of 283. He is the first New Club player to win the tournament since James Bunch in 1993.

“It feels pretty good, I guess it is unexpected,” he said.

“I was only trying to set a score this afternoon to try and get close and I really thought the miss at the last had cost me,” he added.

“I’ve never had two eagles in a round before and it was almost three, so it’s a great time to do it.”

Paterson set the tone for his afternoon by changing his game plan and driving the first green, holing an uphill 15-foot putt for his first eagle.

“The pin was on the right and there’s lots of room left so it was worth the risk of driver and it paid off,” he said. “Eighth I hit three-iron to the front edge and I was just trying to get a 60 foot putt close enough and it dropped.”

After his sole bogey on the tough 17th – “I hit the six-iron of my life there so it was a good five” – Paterson was on in two and six feet away at the last but misread the putt much to his dismay.

“I really thought that was my chance and I’d missed out, but I hit the putt I wanted to hit and it doesn’t matter anyway now.”

Paterson moved to St Andrews last year from Killearn when his father retired, and is sitting three Highers at Madras to add to the five he’s already got.

“After school I’m going to take a year out and hopefully go to America for a golf scholarship, and maybe I’ll get a few offers now,” he said.

Stewart was three ahead at the start of the final round after his 69 in the morning but couldn’t do better than pars in the best wind conditions of the week despite the gathering chill in the afternoon.

Bogeys at 12 and 13 pulled him back into a tie with the charging Paterson and the Scotland internationalist needed a birdie up the last after his rival had got his four just minutes before.

However, he was bunkered off the tee, was over the back in three under the trees and needed to hole a 40 foot chip to force extra time, his ball catching the ridge and instead finishing well away from the hole.

Meanwhile, up the coast at Montrose Links, Hamburg’s Hannah Leonie Karg lapped the field to win the Scottish Girls Strokeplay Championship by a record 10 shots.

The 17-year-old German had a share of the lead with Kirsty Brodie after the first round but was out on her own after her second round 66 and pulled further away with a finishing four-under round of 69 yesterday.

“I won the German Under-16 Championship, but this tournament is definitely my biggest win,” she said. “I played really, really well to shoot 66 on Thursday and every day under par is a great week overall for me.

Sh ann onMc William, Scotland’ s leading player of the moment, was the only one to make up ground yesterday with a sixunder 67 but still finished well adrift.

“It wasn’t the best start (79) in round one, but I felt I could come back and post under par rounds,” said the Huntly player. “I wanted to win this week, as it’s my last year and I know the course well, but the first round just didn’t help.

“It was very impressive scoring from Hannah and well played to her.”

Picture: Kenny Smith. Scottish Boys champion John Paterson with his prize.