As the excitement from the Carnegie Cup settles and the players begin to turn their attentions back to Tour duties at the Dodhead Invitational the usual media gathering at EuroDov HQ was taking place as the post-mortem from the 2025 Carnegie Cup concludes.

The EuroDov Tour won back the Carnegie Cup for the third year in a row und er the Captaincy of Andrew Love. Love followed in the footsteps of two-time winning Captain Kevin Brannan and whilst he ushered in some changes to the EuroDov Tour set-up they were seen resoundingly as a success.

EuroDov Tour Commissioner David McColgan started the press conference today by saying, “on behalf of all of us at the EuroDov Tour, I’d like to thank Captain Andy Love for his dedication to the role and his commitment to delivering this win for us.”

He continued, “When Love took over the Captaincy the Tour were clear about our willingness to take a different approach to team selection and preparation.

Love introduced a new qualification criterion based on in year performance which clearly enhanced the team and ensured that the in from players were in contention for selection.”

Love’s criteria were based on points per qualifying event and resulted in what many classed as a surprising mix of players, including Carnegie Cup rookie Scott Gowens – who would go on to claim 2 out of 3 of his points in the event.

The Commissioner continued, “Love’s focus on the tournament was laser-like and this has to be commended given he knew this was his first and last year as Carnegie Cup captain.

The Tour has been conscious of this and decided to delay any recruitment for the 2026 Captain till after the event.

However, today we are delighted to unveil the EuroDov Tour Carnegie Cup Captain for 2026. We believe our choice of Captain reflects all that the Tour is about.

He is, by comparator, a newer member of the Tour – joining in 2022. However, what he missed in the early days of the Tour, has been more than made up for in his commitment and participation since then.

His roll of honour speaks for itself – Major winner, Order of Merit event winner, Harry Vardon winner, Anstruther Medal winner, The Matchplay winner, Bruce Shield winner, InchKeith Cup winner – in fact single handedly he has won more honours than the entire co-sanctioned SanWedge players.

We are delighted to announce that for 2026 the EuroDov Tour Carnegie Cup Captain will be Paul Gowens.”
Well, there we have it folks, Paul Gowens will lead the EuroDov Tour into the 2026 Carnegie Cup. Gowens Senior’s name was always near the top of the list of many commentators – as the Commissioner laid out his commitment to the Tour and his winning pedigree are almost unparalleled on Tour.

However, many forecast Gowens Senior as the ideal candidate to Captain the EuroDov Tour into an away Carnegie Cup, where course choice and set-up isn’t within your control, where the match is always a little more hostile and Gowens Senior’s quite confidence backed up by a 100%-win record in 2 appearances makes him a great selection.

Paul Gowens sat down in the press room with an air of someone who had taken the weight of the world on his shoulders, with a serious commitment to do the best for the Tour, let’s hear what he had to say.
Paul - the EuroDov Tour have announced you as the 2026 EuroDov Tour Carnegie Cup Captain, what's your reaction to that?

“Hi everyone, and thank you for having me here today – I don’t think it is an over exaggeration that this has to be the biggest honour to date in my Tour career- when I captained the team at the RyDov in 2024 that was big but captaining the EuroDov team versus the Sandwedge Tour even surpasses that.”

Can we just reflect on the month you've had; you won your maiden Major at the Invitational, you lifted the MCM @ Pitffirane on your home course, you delivery 3 points in the Carnegie Cup, including the wining point and now you're to be unveiled as Captain for 2026 - what's your reflections on that?

“It really is too good to be true, I felt for along time I had the game to win in Majors – god knows I came close enough time - so to eventually get the Major win was brilliant; the Order of Merit win on my home course was special too, you can never expect a win on Tour – the field is just so competitive – and whether you like it or not there is always a little be more pressure to win at home; and delivering for the team at the Carnegie Cup was amazing – at the end of the day you’re not winning for yourself, although the records show individual points they are all team points.”

You'll take over Captaincy from Andrew Love - do you have any words for him after the win at Canmore?

“On behalf of the whole Tour I just want to say a massive thank you. He showed true leadership out there – his morning charge really energised the boys on the first tee, and the grit he showed when things got rough in the stretch before eventually winning his match on 18 that is what players respond to and look up to.

Also, his tactical considerations, the pairing of Duncan & Duncan in the afternoon, much mocked by the SanWedge Tour was a brilliant, sending them out to lead the team talks to both is understanding of their game, our team and the dynamics of momentum.”

Are you conscious of the legacy behind you in successful Captains Kevin Brannan and Andy Love?

“Absolutely, the pair of them are founding Tour members, multiple Major winners, big personalities on Tour – big shoes to fill. The SanWedge Tour are getting stronger each year – it’s telling more of them are becoming co-sanctioned and around the EuroDov Tour event after event - Kev and Andy, they have shown us the way and it’s now my responsibility to write the next chapter for the Tour.”

What should the Tour players expect from your Captaincy?

“I think with any new Captaincy there is a slight change in approach – I think the players will notice a calm quiet confidence and support from me over the next year. I am not making any assumptions on the team and I am keen to take a look at the historical data of the Carnegie Cup and look at in season data to help inform choices. So come 2026 maybe you are going to see some new pairings and I will be ensuring my Vice Captains play an active role as we prepare for the Cup.”

As Captain you'll get to develop your own selection criteria - what's your thoughts at this stage?

“Well, you guys took your time to get down to business didn’t you haha!

Andy Love’s criteria really showed that when you clearly define how the squad is selected, the players step up to the plate. Every single player on Tour wants to be on that team and when you can only carry 12 players you need to know they’ve deserved it – either through their current form or their pedigree. So, I want to make sure we’ve got a good mix of players who are there to fill specific roles.

However, and let me be clear, we need winners…match play winners, to be the core of the Team. I have no doubt the SanWedge Tour will come back stronger in 2026, but I am sure we have the matchplay winners to keep hold of that trophy.

With that in mind automatic qualification will be guaranteed for the following players;

Winner of the EuroDov Tour Cup - Scratch Champion: The Tour has introduced the three new Championships in 2025. The Scratch Champion will have qualified through a tough field and overcome two opponents in matchplay to be declared the winner and that sort of battle-hardened player will be invaluable on the team.

Winner of the 2013 Cup - Handicap Champion: Much like the EuroDov Tour Cup winner the 2013 Cup winner will have played a 36-hole qualifier and won 2 straight matchplay ties to be crowned the winner.

Winners of the Anstruther Medal: The Anstruther Medal is often seen as a fun event on Tour, but let me tell you, in the heat of matchplay everyone wants to win. To win the Anstruther Medal you need to win three straight 9-hole matchplay events. The fact the matches are played over 9-hoels means every lost hole is Ike 2 lost holes and requires a strong matchplay mentality – the winners of this event are pedigree matchplay players.

Winner of the Matchplay: I think this one goes without saying. The Matchplay, introduced in 2024 is a breeding ground for strong Carnegie Cup players. The winner of the Matchplay will have won as many as five singles matches to lift the coveted trophy.

Winner of the Tour Champs: The Tour Champs at Craigielaw is not a matchplay event – however it is a 36-hole strokeplay competition that requires master of the game on a very tough course. Given what’s on the line at the Tour Champs the intensity across the day is almost Carnegie Cup like and anyone who triumphs in those conditions is someone I want on my team.

Winner of the Order of Merit: The season long Major of the EuroDov Tour is a mark of real golfing prowess. Whilst form may be temporary winning the Order of Merit is a sign of class throughout the season. No EuroDov Tour tam would be complete without our Champion Golfer of the Year.

Minimum of 4 captains picks: I reserve a minimum of four Captain's picks that will be used to ensure we have the right balance of players on the Team and that all facets of the game are covered.

Captain’s picks may increase if the same player wins multiple qualifying events or a qualifying event is won by a non-eligible player.”

Well, there we have it, the 2026 EuroDov Tour Carnegie Cup Captain is Paul Gowens and his new selection criteria has been defined. He’s clearly focussed on bringing in players who have a winning background and with that maybe a strong winning mentality, whilst leaving space to ensure the Team room has all the skills and the right blend of players through his Captains picks.