St Andrews’ Ben Kinsley finally made the big step into the Scottish Boys’ Championship final at the third attempt and will today aim to be the first player from the Home of Golf in half a century to win the title.
The 18-year-old Scotland internationalist had lost at the semi-final stage in 2011 at Dunbar and last year at Monifieth, but yesterday’s last-four 2 and 1 victory over Oban’s Robert MacIntyre at West Kilbride got him into the final at last.
Third-seeded Kinsley now aims to go one better than his friend and fellow St Andrews club member Ewan Scott, beaten finalist in each of the last two years, and become the first winner of the premier national junior title from the Auld Grey Toun since Lachlan Carver in 1960.
He’ll meet the top seed and reigning British Boys champion Ewen Ferguson in the final, after the 17-year-old confirmed his ranking by beating local hope Stuart Easton from Irvine in the other semi-final.
Kinsley has been ruthless throughout the championship, and the same was true in both matches on Friday as he raced to a six-up lead against Rory Brunton from Portpatrick in his quarter-final.
Brunton fought back with three late birdies but Kinsley prevailed 4 and 3, and his semi against the second seed and left-handed MacIntyre was close most of the way.
The Glencruitten player started with 10 straight pars allowing Kinsley a brief lead at the short fourth, although the St Andrian handed back the lead with a bogey at the short par fourth.
However, Ben’s decisive move was the stretch of five successive threes from the ninth, a stretch of holes he’s dominated in most of his seven matches this week.
Birdies at 10, 11 and 13 allowed him open up a two-up gap on MacIntyre, which proved enough with a succession of pars down the stretch to close out the match on the 17th.
“The turning point was really the 13th, when I holed out for birdie and Robert missed from similar distance,” he said.
“I didn’t hit the ball quite as well today as I have for much of this week, but managed to hole a few key putts.”
Mum Mandy and dad Patrick have watched nearly every blow, the latter much to the amusement of Ben.
“He gets quite uptight and it gets quite funny at times,” added Ben.
“He gets far more nervous than I do. I managed to keep myself pretty under control today.”
However, he’s well aware of the history element, both in personal terms and those of where he’s from.
“I figured it just had to be third time lucky in terms of coming through the semi this time,” he added.
“It’s been too long without a boys champion from St Andrews and I really thought that Ewan was going to do it last year after he beat me in the semi-final. It’s up to me to change it now.”
Ferguson had earlier ended the outstanding debut campaign of Dunfermline’s Ryan Brown in decisive fashion, a run of six birdies in his last seven holes sending the British Boys’ champion to a 6 and 5 win in the quarter-final.
The 16-year-old Queen Anne HS pupil made a fair fist of it, but his first birdie of the match was at the 13th, matched by Ferguson to close out the victory.
In the semi-final, delayed due to Easton going to two extra holes in his quarter-final, the quality of golf was outstanding with no bogeys until the death.
Ferguson’s four birdies to Easton’s two proved the key to putting the Bearsden player in front and when the Irvine player finally wilted with a bogey five on the 16th, Ferguson was into the 36-hole final 3 and 2.