It feels like an age since the EuroDov Tour was back on the road. June is traditionally a quiet month as players head off to fulfill off-Tour commitments, but it was back with a bang as the Anstruther Medal moved from its traditional early August slot to the beginning of July.

Since its creation the Anstruther Medal has visited Anstruther and Milnathort Golf Courses and in 2023 it was another new venue, this time the small Royal burgh of Falkland. Nestled at the foot of the Lomond Hills, it was once home to Scottish Royalty at Falkland Palace.

Golf had been played in Falkland since 1503, so it was only fitting that 520 years the EuroDov Tour would bring its fastest paced format to the village – the Anstruther Medal.

The Medal is competed for over 9 holes of Fourball matchplay, it’s a breakneck format, with no space for slow starts and 2023 was without exception.

It was an exciting field in 2023 with a few debutants adding a little bit of mystery to the proceedings.

Paul Gowens made a return after missing 2022 playing with his son Scott, who debuted not only in the Medal, but the Tour as well. Ally Greenshields and Richard Mair made their debuts at the Anstruther Medal as did Alan Duncan. One of the most exciting debutants was the partnership of Stuart Allan and Denis Duncan.

The old guard was out in force too and most notably the partnership of Brannan/McColgan that many had hoped to see for a few years now.

The Qualifying round is always an uneasy one, a tense affair as many teams see the course for the first time, and try not to eliminate themselves from the Medal ladder straight away.

Match one was Brannan/McColgan versus 2022 last place pairing of Anderson/Lynch. This match saw 11 majors and a total of 22 Tour victories face off against 0 majors and 0 Tour wins – and this David versus Goliath match nearly went true to the Legend as Anderson/Lynch stood on the 9th tee 1Up with 1 to play, only for both of them to struggle up the 9th and lose the hole and the match on a countback.

Match two featured rookies in Greenshields and Scott Gowens and whilst neither team really got going, Greenshields and McNeill took and enough of a command in the early stretches to stamp their authority on the match and win out in the end, setting up a semi-final match against Brannan/McColgan.

Match three was a clash of the titans – many commentators had waited to see the partnership between Allan and Duncan in this event and they played off against a pairing that featured one half of the 2022 winners and 1 half of the 2022 runners-up. The result went the way of the hopefuls and saw Allan and Duncan proceed, could they fulfil the prediction that so many had made for so long?

Match four was another finely poised match and featured the 2021 winner Greig Baxter playing with Alan Duncan against Mair/Peck. It was evenly matched on paper but in the end Baxter and Duncan won out to set up a semi-final match where the Duncan brothers would go head-to-head.

The first semi-final out on the course was Brannan/McColgan versus Greenshields/McNeill. It was a pretty low scoring affair and when the groups made it to the 9th tee Greenshields/McNeill were 1Up – familiar storyline for Brannan/McColgan here.

Greenshields and McNeill both played poor tee-shots and were in bother over on the first, Brannan would follow them and drive out of bounds over the first. McColgan sent his drive over the trees, and cut the out of bounds, and carried it to 80 yards from the green, dead center of the fairway.

Could McColgan pull off another countback win to reach the final? Sadly, no. Greenshields, after taking relief from the path, played the best wedge shot of the day, over the trees and to the raised green, pitching inches from the hole and stopping just 3 feet from the pin. Game over – and a final awaited the pair.

The second semi-final was defined by the battle of the Duncan brothers. Stuart Allan and Denis Duncan were making their debut in the event and were up against the 2021 champion Greig Baxter and his partner Alan Duncan.

As the round got under way it was clear that the outcome of the match would hinge on which Duncan brother was able to control their emotions in the brotherly battle. In the end the match was won by Allan and Duncan. The rookies marching all the way to the final, facing off against Greenshields/McNeill, with the conclusion being new names on the trophy no matter what.

Elsewhere Gowens/Gowens found their feet again with a win over Anderson & Lynch and Peck & Mair defeated Connor/Orr in a surprise result that saw the winner and runner-up from last year relegated to the wooden spoon battle.

The Wooden-spoon match was quite possibly a forgone conclusion. Connor found his feet finally in the competition and the combo of him and Orr’s experience on Tour shone throw to deliver them a 7th place finish and relegate Anders/Lynch to last place for another season.

In the 3rd/4th play-off it was a relatively tight affair between Baxter/Duncan and Brannan/McColgan, but in the end it was Baxter/Duncan who won out on the 9th hole to take 3rd place.

The Anstruther Plate final came down to the 9th hole, Scott Gowens struggled throughout the hole before sticking his approach long and into the rough behind the green. Gowens Snr. found himself lying 4 feet from the hole after 3. With his opponents having trouble of the tee, he had 2 putts to win the hole and duly delivered a memorable win, for a father-son team, and a great way to cap off a year remembered less happy reasons.

The final had the hallmarks of a classic, but after Greenshields/McNeill took a 2 hole lead after 2 it was an uphill struggle for Allan/Duncan and the destination of the Anstruther Medal was very much swinging in their favour.

It was all over by the 6th hole when Greenshields/McNeill holed out to win the match 4&3 and lift the Anstruther Medal.

It was another great edition of the Anstruther Medal, played on a testing course in near perfect conditions. The 2024 edition heads to Saline Golf Course, on the eastern boundary of Fife and we look forward to joining the teams for another exciting event.