Bradley hailed Champion of Champions

Oct 25 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

BIG County starlet Bradley Neil underlined his fast-growing status in the junior game by bringing the curtain down on his 2011 season in style.

The 15-year-old Blairgowrie Golf Club member is rated one of the country’s hottest properties.

And he showed why by clinching the prestigious Junior Champion of Champions crown over The Duke’s Course at St Andrews on Sunday.

The Blairgowrie High School teenager, who finished an impressive second in the English Under-16 Boys’ Open Stroke Play in July, carded a solid four-under-par 67 to claim a one-shot victory – his first national triumph of the season.

Neil, one of the youngest ever club champions in Scotland when he won at Blair, edged out Scotland Boys International team-mate Ewan Scott, a St Andrews local and Duke’s member, with Paul Reilly of Lochwinnoch beating Jamie Savage into third spot – thanks to a better back nine of 35 – after they both carded 70s.

Connie Jaffrey of Troon Portland shot 72 – one-over-par – to pip playing partner Clara Young of North Berwick by a stroke, with Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) and Eilidh Watson (Muckhart) next best after 74s. Meek took third alone with a better inward half of 37.

An elite field of Scotland’s 2011 junior winners gathered at the award-winning Duke’s for the end-of-season contest – in essence a celebration of the year’s golf.

National winners and selected County and Area champions – 42 boys and 16 girls – teed-up at the world-renowned Fife venue in pursuit of the prestigious title, contested for a fifth time, with the Duke’s staging it for a third occasion.

Despite calm conditions and the forecast rain failing to arrive, the par-71 lay-out played long and challenging, with only four players in the entire field breaking par.

Over 18 holes of straight medal play in the dual SGU/SLGA event, Neil was a class act throughout, hitting the first eight greens in regulation to sit three under following birdies at the first, sixth and eighth.

A bogey came at the ninth, but he quickly returned to his stride with a chip in for birdie at 11 and a 20-foot putt for another birdie at the next. Six holes of solid golf followed to take the title.

Neil, who eclipsed his share of second place at the opening SGU Junior Tour event at Arbroath in March, said: “It’s my first national win of the season so it’s a great way to end. I drove the ball well, it was a really solid round.

“I hit greens and gave myself opportunities to hole putts - that was probably the key. If you missed the greens you were getting punished quite badly with the bunkers.

“I had a stupid bogey at nine when I missed the green with a wedge. But I got into the back nine and kicked on from there. I chipped in for birdie at 11, which helped, and made birdie at the par-3 12th. I then kept it solid.”