2021 has been a year of firsts on the EuroDov Tour, the brand-new Order of Merit kicked off in March and has been gathering steam all season; the EuroDov Cup, due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic was first hosted in the UK; and at the start of August 14 Tour players played in the inaugural Anstruther Medal, the Tour’s first Fourball tournament played over 9 holes at Anstruther Golf Club.

Of course, it wouldn’t be 2021 without a covid-19 crisis, three days from the tournament we had two players pull out due to covid-19 isolation protocols, thankfully everyone is well, but it did mean the Tour had to send out David McColgan and Greig Baxter as solo players in the format.

A huge thank you to Jordan Mushet and Paul Gowans, who made their debuts on the Tour, as late minute stand ins for other call-offs.

The final notable mention of the day is for Scott Hamilton, Hamilton is a founding member of the Tour and made his last appearance in competition before embarking for foreign shores later this month. D. McColgan, Society Secretary said, “it was great to be able to get Scott along for one last hurrah. As a founding member of the Tour, he’ll always have a special place here, his four appearances in the RyDov cup yielded 8 points, a 66% success rate, he was the first winner of the Bruce Trophy and winner of the Kinross Medal in 2018. On behalf of all of us at the Tour I’d like to thank him for his commitment and contribution to the Tour and bon voyage, and who knows maybe he’ll make an appearance again as an international entry.”

The venue for the inaugural Anstruther Medal was, Anstruther Golf Club, a quirky and trying course perched on the edge of the Firth of Forth. The players were met with near perfect conditions, a slight wind, that was changeable, just to keep everyone guessing an clear skies offering spectacular views over to North Berwick and East Lothian.

The tournament started with a qualifying round to see which teams would enter the Medal side of the draw and which teams entered the Plate.

First out was Greig Baxter playing against Stephen Green and Kevin Brannan. The added spice to this match was Baxter was originally planned to partner Brannan but found himself facing off against him in the qualifier.

Baxter didn’t have the greatest of starts, sending his tee shot left of the third tee, some 60 yards offline, but after a great recover he got down for a par and a half to kick off the tournament. Baxter would go on to take the lead on the 2nd hole but would lose the next two to go 1 Down thru 4. A bogey on the Par 5 Rockies, the hardest par 3 in Britain, was enough to level the match and with a half on the 6th the match remained finally balanced. Green and Brannan would win the 7th hole leaving them 1 Up with 1 to play, but a par from Baxter made it all square with one to play. And it would be Baxter who would win the final hole to go through to the Medal draw with a 1 Up victory.

McColgan faced off against Hamilton/Lynch. It was a tight affair with the players halving the first three holes with two pars and a birdie. After a thunderous drive down four, Lynch found himself on an awkward downhill lie, but a deft chip found the green and settled 10 feet from the pin, a two-putt par delivered the first hole of the match and Hamilton/Lynch took a 1-hole lead into the Rockies. McColgan’s 4 wood off the tee on the fifth found the water and with Lynch safely in the fairway he would find himself 2 Down with four to play. McColgan would claw one back on 6 after a deft chip to the raised green, but back-to-back wins on 7 & 8 would put McColgan to bed and Hamilton/Lynch progressed on to the Medal rounds.

Match three saw Love/McCran play Mushet/Robertson. The “people’s pairing” of Love McCran rushed out to a 2 hole lead thru 2, but Mushet/Robertson pulled them back to All Square walking on to the Rockies. Tee shots from Love and McCran both found the water and after safe play from Mushet and Robertson the lead was theirs for the first time. It would be a lead they would refuse to relinquish and would eventually seal the victory on the 8th green with a 2&1 result.

The final match was Gowans/Kinnear v Connor/Peck. Both of these pairings had been tipped for success by EuroDov Reporter and the match didn’t disappoint. A back-and-forth match that was evenly balanced and came down the 9th hole with all to play for. Kinnear had a putt to win that lipped out leaving the match All Square. Gowans/Kinnear advanced to the Medal round after a countback.

The qualifying rounds were a great warm-up for what was to come, and the teams turned around for the Plate and Medal Semi-finals.

In the plate McColgan took on Connor/Peck. With a birdie-par start McColgan raced to a 2-hole lead. The third hole would belong to Daniel Peck who delivered a fantastic 7-iron from 170 yards to within 10 feet of the pin to claw a hole back. A wayward tee shot from McColgan on 4 was capitalised on by Connor/Peck who brought the game back to All Square walking on to the Rockies. Connor & peck sent their first tee shots into the water as McColgan took the safe route down the right-hand side, a bogey delivered him the win.

McColgan once again missed the green on the par 3 6th and left his chip inside 2 feet. With Connor down for three McColgan had a put for the half but lipped out on the high side. All Square with three to play. McColgan and Connor halved 7 as did McColgan and Peck on 8. All square with 1 to play. Peck’s tee shot found OB leaving Connor and McColgan to duel it out. But a delightful 10 foot putt for a 3 by Connor put the match to bed, 1 Up Connor/Peck.

The other Plate semi was between Love/McCran and Green/Brannan. Love & McCran struggled off the tee on the first and Brannan and Green sent drives up to the base of the hill. Brannan would card a par 4 to take the pairing 1 Up. A bogey 4 for Green on the short par 3 second would double that lead. The Par 4 3rd, longest hole on the course, would be halved as Love/McCran stemmed the bleeding. The pair would go on to win the 4th and 5th holes to pull the match level. A par 3 on the 6th hole for Green reinstated their lead by Love/McCran would claw them back to level on the 7th. A double bogey on the Par 4 8th was enough for Green to take the advantage for his side again and a 4 on the last finished it off 2UP and a place in the final of the Plate was theirs.

In the first semi-final of the Medal Baxter took on Mushet/Robertson. A par-par start for Baxter was enough to snatch a 2-hole lead. Robertson hit back with a par on the 3rd to cut the lead to 1 and pars by all three players on four kept it at 1 heading into the Rockies. Robertson carded a Par 3, the first of the day on the Rockies, to claw the match back to level. And a pair of fours on the 6th was enough for Mushet/Robertson to take the lead. Mushet/Robertson would lead thru 8 and go down the last 1Up and 1 to play. Baxter came home with a par 3, halving the match and winning the match on a countback, and taking his place in the final in the process.

The last match and second semi-final for the plate was between Hamilton/Lynch and Gowans/Kinnear. The latter shot out the traps quickly with a par for Gowans and a Par for Kinnear enough to take a two-hole lead. The third would be halved to stay at 2Up but a par on the fourth hole for both Hamilton & Lynch reduced the lead to 1. The Rockies would be halved in 4’s to keep Gowans/Kinnear at 1Up.

The 6th hole saw the three best approach shots of the day in this match as 3 out of 4 of the balls came to rest within 15 feet of the pin, they would result in three 3’s and a halved hole. Hamilton/Lynch, patiently waiting since the 4th hole one their second hole of the day at 7 to square the match with two to go. Kinnear would hit back instantly with a birdie to take his team 1Up with 1 to play. However, a 4 on the last from Hamilton was enough to square the match and send Hamilton/Lynch to the final on a countback.
After a break for lunch the players gathered for the Finals and Third-Fourth place play-offs.

The play-off for Third-Fourth place in the Plate round, and to decide the last placed team was between McColgan and Love/McCran. Love/McCran would take the first hole with a birdie and McColgan responded straight back with a birdie of his own on 2. All square thru 2. McColgan and McCran traded pars on the 3rd before McCran’s approach on the fourth finished inside 6 inches from the hole for a net eagle. 1Up Love/McCran. Another halved hole on the Rockies sent Love/McCran into the 6th 1UP.

McColgan, who struggled with the 6th all day long, found trouble over the green from the tee, McCran carded a par to send his team 2Up with 3 to play. Another Par on 7th for McCran was consigned McColgan to last place with a 3&1 defeat.

In the Third-Fourth place play-off in the Medal side of the draw Gowans/Kinnear faced an all too familiar story. After losing the first they pushed to 2Up thru 7. At Dormie 2 they’d lose both the 8th and 9th holes to finish the match All Square and lose on a countback. The pairing didn’t lose a match in regulation halving all their matches but losing two of three on countbacks.

The Plate Final was played off between Green/Brannan and Connor/Peck. Both these teams halved their Qualifying match, losing on a countback. They’d both go on to win their semi-finals on the 9th green, and a tight affair was on the cards for the Plate Final. The match didn’t disappoint a real to-and-fro match that was eventually won on the 8th green 2&1 for Connor/Peck, the first winners of the Anstruther Medal plate.

And onto the main event, Baxter, a solo player, against Hamilton/Lynch. Baxter had taken all his matches down the 9th winning on countbacks. Hamilton/Lynch swept aside McColgan 3&1 in the first round and won on a countback against Gowans/Kinnear. The match got off to a flyer, the teams were All Square through 4 holes in a match that was hanging in the balance. Hamilton/Lynch would break the deadlock going 1Up thru 7, and all eyes were on Baxter to see if he had one last push in him. An immediate response was what we got and Baxter won 8 leaving the match All Square down 9, an all too familiar story for Baxter. The 9th was halved between Baxter and Hamilton and once again Baxter won the match on a countback to be the most unlikely of winner of the inaugural Anstruther Medal.

It was a great day of golf, in perfect conditions on a fast and scoreable course. Speaking to EuroDov Report after the match, Society Secretary, D. McColgan said, “it was fantastic to see this event in action. It offers a short match play format that challenges players to be firing from the first shot and it delivered an exciting product for all involved.”

Well, there we have it folks, our first winner of the Anstruther Medal, Greig Baxter, playing solo due to late medical call-offs, took on the field and won it all.
Here’s to 2022, and as much excitement.