Forrest enjoys a birthday treat but Mcdonald forced to leave the party
Only one Scot makes it to Amateur final
GRANT Forrest’s joy over reaching the final of the 120th Amateur Championship at Carnoustie on his 22nd birthday was tempered by Jack Mcdonald agonisingly missing out in his bid to make it an all-scottish showdown for the first time since 1909.
After Forrest had beaten Alexandre Daydou in the first of two Scotland versus France semi-finals, Mcdonald came to the last with his nose in front against Romain Langasque only to see his opponent win it by playing the hole a lot more sensibly than compatriot Jean van de Velde did when blowing a three-shot lead there in the 1999 Open Championship.
“People keep reminding you about what happened to Jean here, but I was trying not to think about it after hitting my drive to the right,” said the 20-year-old, who works with Victor Dubuisson’s coach, Benoit Ducoulombier, of being close to the spot from where his compatriot went for the green, found the Barry Burn and ran up a triple-bogey 7 that opened the door for Paul Lawrie to pick up the Claret Jug after a play-off.
Langasque, winner of the Southern Cross Invitational in Argentina as well as a big tournament at Fontainebleau this season, played short of the water, as Mcdonald did after deciding it was too risky to take on a 235-yard shot into the wind, then roared “yes” as his sevenfoot par putt dropped to force extra-time.
“Oui is not good,” declared Langasque of his celebratory shout being in English rather than his native tongue after clinching victory at the 19th, where Mcdonald found a “pretty ugly spot” long and left of the green and was unable to convert a 14-foot par putt to extend the match.
It was the second time in four years that the 22-year-old from Kilmarnock (Barassie) had gone out in the penultimate round, having suffered a similar fate at Royal Troon in 2012. “I’ve got up and down from 68 yards [the distance he left himself for his third at the last] hundreds of times and fancied my chances but…” he reflected on the events at the 18th. “I thought it was the right way to play the hole in the situation.”
While Mcdonald’s exit ended hopes of a first all-scottish final since Tantallon’s Robert Maxwell beat Cecil Hutchison of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield, another yawning gap will be bridged today if Forrest succeeds Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil to record back-to-back wins for Scottish players for the first time since 1898.
“I’m going back to the house to sleep because I’m knackered,” said the Craigielaw player when asked what he had planned for a birthday celebration, having