The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Young Australian stars on day of shocks in Fife
Surprise finalists as Girls’ favourites crash out at Scotscraig
Australian exile Josh Greer took out another two Scottish Boys squad players while the shocks at Scotscraig finally hit the Girls Championship at the semi-final stage yesterday.
Greer will play Airdrie’s Greig Dalziel in the Boys final while favourites Shannon McWilliam and Louise Duncan both lost out at the semi-final stage, leaving Jillian Farrell meeting Hannah Darling in the first 36-hole national Girls final.
But the star of the week at Scotscraig continues to be the 16-year-old Greer, originally from Gourock but now based near Perth in Western Australia, who accounted for another two international squad members in the quarter and semifinals yesterday.
In conditions which made one wonder why they had bothered moving the boys’ championship from April, the slightlybuilt Joondalup CC member ousted third-ranked Lewis Irvine (Kirkhill) on the second extra hole in the morning.
He then won both the first two holes against the last survivor of the national squads, Callum Bruce, in the semi-final.
Greer’s outstanding short game and his accurate work with his hybrid from the fairway have been a feature of the week, and although he missed the green at the second he chipped in for birdie for a lead he was to hold all afternoon.
Four-up at one point, Bruce gradually hauled him in to get back to one down playing the 17th, but a three-putt there meant Greer’s par four was enough to secure the final place.
“Conditions were a lot tougher today but I’ve got accustomed to the cold again,” said Greer.
“The wind got up a little this afternoon which made things trickier. It’s been better this week than I had hoped to do but having come so far obviously I want to win the title now.”
Dalziel finally ended the run of five handicapper Jamie Marchbank in the quarter-finals although he also needed two extra holes, and he seemed to have lost control of his semi-final against Lochgelly’s Dean Walsh around the turn.
Walsh won the Fife County Boys title around Scotscraig last year and he answered every move made by his opponent only to falter on the final two holes.
One-up playing 17, he made his first real mistake of the afternoon by bunkering his tee shot and then tried to take too much from the bunker and ended up taking a six.
Up the last both drove left into heavy rough but Walsh’s composure deserted him and Dalziel’s cautious five was good enough to win the match and the place in the final.
In the girls championship semi-finals favourite Shannon McWilliam never had her best game against the consistent Jillian Farrell, and the senior women’s internationalist fell at the 17th.
Farrell will play Darling, who was always in charge of her semi against the top seeded Duncan.
Boys Championship quarter-finals – G Dalziel (Airdrie) bt J Marchbank (Dumfries & Galloway) at the 20th; D Walsh (Lochgelly) bt L Gillies (Nairn) at the 20th; J Greer (Joondalup) bt L Irvine (Kirkhill) at the 20th; C Bruce (Dugg House Royal) bt N McCulloch (Kingsknowe) 4 and 2.
Semi -Finals: Dalziel bt Walsh 1 hole, Greer bt Bruce 2 and 1.
Girls Championship Semi-Finals: H Darling (Broomieknowe) bt L Duncan (West Kilbride) 2 and 1; J Farrell (Cardross) bt S McWilliam (Aboyne) 2 and 1.