St Andrews’ Ewan Scott was not forward enough to ask for golfing tips from his temporary next-door neighbours last July but he is hoping some of the gold dust from Masters winner Charl Schwartzel and Open champion Louis Oosthuizen found its way over the garden wall to help him in this week’s Scottish Boys Championship at Dunbar.
The two South Africans rented the house next to Ewan’s during last year’s Open Championship on the Old Course before Oosthuizen won the Claret Jug, and their success has not gone unnoticed by the 15-year-old, who underlined his status as one of the favourites for the boys’ title with a 5 and 4 victory over Glenn Fotheringham of Falkirk Tryst.
Scott said, “We chatted almost every night over the garden wall when they had a barbecue with their families.
“We didn’t talk about the golf much because they were looking to get away from it all when they were off the course, but I didn’t think then I’d be speaking to two of the next three major winners.”
Scott probably does not need the help this week, coming into the event as the in-form player having won the SGU’s Winter Series and the first counting event in the Junior Order of Merit at Arbroath at the end of the month.
Ewan is aiming to be the first winner of the boys’ title from the Auld Grey Toun since Lachlan Carver beat fellow St Andrian Sandy Wilson in 1960, and the last top national title was the boys’ strokeplay crown won by the New Club’s James Bunch in 1993.
Ewan said, “I’m not quite sure why that is, we have some of the best facilities and my own club has proportionally the most category one handicap players in the country.
“Maybe it’s because too many players play only at St Andrews and only links golf that the town hasn’t produced that many top players nationally.
“We have Krystle (Caithness) doing well on the Ladies European Tour but we need a few guys to come through now.”Young talent emergingThe St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association has been instrumental in developing new talent and Ewan is their best product so far, playing off a plus-two handicap, winning full Scottish boys caps with an unbeaten record at last year’s home internationals and still only 15.
“There’s plenty of good players coming up, with Ben Kinsley and Josh Jamieson in with a good chance to do well here this week,” added Ewan, whose run of four hole wins from the fifth was enough to break the resistance of Fotheringham.
Kinsley confirmed his friend’s commendation with a 6 and 5 first round win over John Innes (Kirkcudbright) but one St Andrian who did fall by the wayside was the New Club’s Andrew Whyte, losing to the field’s other 15-year-old full international and Scott’s regular practice partner, Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil.
Neil, who pulled off a unique double of both Scottish and English under-14 titles last year, played a steady game in accounting for Whyte 3 and 2 to stay on course for a possible quarter-final against defending champion and top seed Grant Forrest, who had to battle to get through his first round tie with Dunfermline’s Jordan Lamb 3 and 2.
Neil almost ousted Jack McDonald, one of the top Scottish juniors, in the third round last year and has found himself promoted swiftly into the elite boys squad.
Neil said, “It was a bit of a surprise but while I was a big fish in the under-14s in the under-18s it’s a bit different.
“Ewan and myself have both moved up and while we hope to do well, I think Grant (Forrest) and Jack are the big favourites this year, while we’ve both got two more years to play.”
Sadly Bradley’s elder brother Conor fell at the first hurdle to Louis Gaughan of Bathgate and there were no other successes for the Perth and Kinross County contingent on the first day.
As well as Scott and Kinsley, two fellow Fifers, Balbirnie Park players Martin Buchan and Greg Forrester, progressed from first round ties.