It felt like summer had truly landed at Burntisland House Golf club this past Sunday as the EuroDov Tour arrived, not for the scheduled Dodhead Invitational – which takes place on June 4th – but the Carnegie Cup.

The Carnegie Cup was announced in February as the first ever co-sanctioned event between the EuroDov Tour and the SanWedge Tour.

Announcing the event Tour Secretary, David McColgan, said, “in 2023 the EuroDov Tour will take part in the inaugural Carnegie Cup. The Cup will be played for between the EuroDov Tour and the SanWedge Tour…there is great excitement amongst the EuroDov Tour membership. There has long been a desire for this kind of event on Tour and it’s great to finally make it happen.”

Daniel Peck, SanWedge Tour secretary said, “the SanWedge guys are excited about the opportunity of going up against the EuroDov Tour. We are a much younger society but we’re eager to take part in this David v Goliath battle.”

And a battle it was.

All 24 players arrived at Burntisland Golf House club by differing means. The SanWedge Tour players were selected from their membership to represent the Tour by captain Callum McNeill and the EuroDov Team featured 8 automatic qualifying players from the Official Tour Rankings and 4 Captain’s picks chosen by Kevin Brannan.

Allan Kinnear – of RyDov Cup fame – hit the first ever shot in the tournament for the EuroDov Tour and we were underway. 12 singles matches set-off in the morning around a Burntisland course that was in pristine condition.

The early going was fairly evenly split as the two Tours poked and prodded each other to find weaknesses.

In the front group honours were fairly even with Captain Callum McNeill 1Up at the turn for the SanWedge Tour and #1 ranked David McColgan 1Up for the EuroDov Tour.

Most games were still very close at the turn with the exception of Graeme Connor and Stevie Orr playing for the EuroDov Tour who had surged to 5Up respectively in their matches and very much in control.

At the turn of the morning singles SanWedge Tour were leading 6.5-5.5, a surprise outcome for many onlookers but with still a lot of golf to play.

By virtue of their commanding opening 9 holes Connor and Orr were the first points on the board. They’d finish on the 13th hole 7&5 and 6&5 respectively to deliver resounding victories for the EuroDov Tour.

The next point on the board would be for the SanWedge Tour as Ally Greenshields won 4& 3 over Stuart Allan. By all accounts Allan did well to get as far as 15, losing the first 4 holes and never really recovering from there.

As that match was ending up ahead it was all to play for in the opening two matches. The match was squared on 12 with Allan taking the lead on the 16th hole. After finding the green on 17 he’d go down the last 1Up and 1 to play. However, a wild drive from Kinnear found the trees and McNeill’s drive to just 10 feet off the green was enough to help him down for a birdie and the half point.

In the other match McColgan and Miller traded blow for blow in the back 9 finally making it to the 18th tee all square. McColgan thumped a drive down the middle towards the green and Miller found his ball come to rest just to the right of the fairway. After a punch below the trees to the green he had a putt for birdie.

McColgan found his drive off the back of the green in 1 and chipped back to 3 feet. Miller would card a birdie and McColgan would match it to halve a hard-fought match by both players.

With the first 6 games concluded it sat 3-3 and a nervous wait for the EuroDov Tour team ensued. The next points on the board however would come from Greig Baxter with a 3&2 win, that’d be followed by Kieran Lynch. 3 down after 10 and 3 down with 4 to play he’d run off 3 pars and a birdie on 18 to win the match 1Up in a point that really put the pep back in the EuroDov team’s step.

He’d be followed in by Stuart Sutherland and Jim Robertson who won a point and a half respectively.

The last two matches, however, would go the SanWedge Tour way, Richard Mair would win 5&3 to continue his domination on both Tours and coming down 18 all square Andy Love would bogey the last with his opponent Adam Blyth carding a par to win 1Up.

As the players settled into lunch the scores sat 6.5-5.5 in favour of the EuroDov Tour. A result many had predicted but a margin much smaller than many expected.

The afternoon foursomes submitted, lunch had, and the final battle underway.

McNeill sent himself out first again alongside defeated Daniel Wood and they’d face Kieran Lynch who was alongside David McColgan.

The match didn’t start well for the EuroDov pair with a lost tee shot costing them the hole, but that was won back on 2 and by 4 they were 1Up. The SanWedge team weren’t going quietly however and won back-to-back holes on 6 & 7 to go 1 Up but a half on 8 and a win on the 9th hole saw the game get to 10 all square.

Match 2 Blyth/Peck via Kinnear/Love was much more volatile than the one up front. The SanWedge pair of Blyth and Peck raced out to 3Up thru 3 only to find the match squared at 7. Another win for SanWedge on 8 was pulled back by the EuroDov pair on 9 and all square it was.

Match 3 saw McAndrew/Forrest take on Baxter/Robertson. The EuroDov pair were never down thru the front 9. They’d win the first 2 matches and after losing the 4th the bounced back with a win at 5 after Baxter hit the pin from the tee. They’d lose 7 & 8 but would respond with a win on 9 to finish the front 9 1 UP.

Morrison/Mair took on Brannan/Orr in Match 4 and it was a more sedate opening with the first two holes halved. In the run to the turn the SanWedge pair would win 4 holes to the EuroDov teams 2 and enjoy a 2-hole lead.

Match 5 saw Miller/Turnbull take on Connor/Sutherland in a front 9 that saw no halved holes. The SanWedge team of Miller and Turnbull would win 5 to Connor/Sutherland’s 4 to sit 1Up at the turn.

And in the final match Greenshields/Byrne played Allan/Duncan. The EuroDov pair got off to a good start halving the first then winning the second, but they’d lose 2 straight to go 1 Down and the SanWedge team extended their lead to 2 after 6. However, a EuroDov revival in 7 & 8 squared the match only for the SanWedge boys to win 9 and go 1Up thru 9.

With all 6 matches through the turn the afternoon score sat at 8-4 in favour of the SanWedge Tour which gave them an overall lead of 13.5-10.5. With just 9 holes of matchplay left SanWedge Tour had one hand on the Carnegie Cup.

Match 1 would be the first to conclude. The EuroDov Tour pair of Lynch/McColgan won holes 10 and 11 and took their match to 2Up, the first time the match had more than 1 hole in it all day.

However, after tree trouble on 12 and 13 the SanWedge team had pulled the match level with 5 holes to go.

On the 14th hole, McNeill found trouble off the tee requiring the SanWedge guys to re-tee, advantage EuroDov Tour. After the SanWedge team holed out for a 6 McColgan had a 9-foot swinging putt that he delivered dead center to take the EuroDov team to 1Up.

Tree trouble was the order of the 15th hole. The SanWedge pair found the trees on their approach costing them strokes. McColgan, from behind the trees opted to leave Lynch an up hill greenside chip, which he deftly left 8 foot short of the hole, leading to the SanWedge guys conceding the hole. 2 Up and 3 to play.

On 16 McColgan sent a 4 wood down the fairway for Lynch, McNeill’s tee shot leaked left and found deep rough. Wood struggled to move the ball and McNeill ended up sending his shot right of the green.

Lynch hit a great approach and was unfortunate to find it through the back. Wood chipped his shot past the hole and McNeill lagged up for a bogey. McColgan, who nearly chipped in from the exact same spot in the morning match, played the same shot to 3 feet.

For the match and the first points of the afternoon Lynch stood over the short left to right breaking putt and found the bottom of the cup.

8.5-5.5 in favour of the EuroDov Tour.

The next points on the board were also for the EuroDov Tour. Baxter/Robertson continued their relentless charge and after halving 10 and 11 would win 12-15 playing them in level par to win 5&3.

10.5-5.5 for the EuroDov Tour.

The next points on the board were from Morrison & Mair on the SanWedge Tour. After getting to the turn 2Up they’d win 10 to go 3Up. Brannan and Orr would win 3 of the next 4 holes to get back to Dn but the damage was already down and loses on 15 and 16 saw the match finish 3&2 for the SanWedge Tour.

10.5-7.5 the gap was closing.

As that match finished 2 balls came sailing down 18. The first tee shot came to rest 15 yards short of the green and the second one came flying down and into the greenside bunker. The gathering crowds watched eagerly as Blyth/Peck and Kinnear/Love came down 18 all square.

The EuroDov pairing of Kinnear and Love had the better going in the second 9 never trailing but a SanWedge win on 17 meant the match would go the distance. At this point a win for the EuroDov Tour would deliver the Carnegie Cup into their hands a loss would see the momentum swing to SanWedge.

As the players reached the green it was apparent that SanWedge were in the middle of the fairway 15 yards short of the green and Andy Love lay in the bunker.

Peck opted to putt and left the ball 20 feet past the pin. Over to Andy Love from the EuroDov Tour to talk us through the rest.

“On the walk down, I didn’t realize we needed to win our tie to seal the win for the EuroDov Tour.

I knew Allan had hit a screamer of a drive; I was just keen to see what kind of shot it had left me.

Having watched Adam Blyth drive to within 2 feet of the green in our singles match, I knew they’d be in close, so I was just hoping we’d be near to them with a good shot in to the green.

[When I found the ball in the bunker] I wasn’t too phased, I played a nice shot out the bunker on 14 with a similar lie, and usually back myself to get out of bunkers easily.”

Described as “one of the best” by Tour secretary David McColgan who was watching from the galleries, Love’s bunker shot came to rest 10 feet from the pin.

Love said, “I still left Allan with a lot to do for the putt, so I was glad to have got it close, but I couldn’t enjoy the shot until he rolled in the putt.”

Blyth and Peck required 2 putts to get down for a par, and Kinnear was left standing on the elevated green at Burntisland, crowds watching, and Love said, “I was delighted for Allan - he deserved that putt, was great to see him seal the win for EuroDov Tour.”

And with that putt the 2 points needed to carry the EuroDov Tour team over the 12-point mark and guarantee victory.

Further back the SanWedge pairing of Miller/Turnbull never let up from their halfway lead and delivered a 2&1 point for the losing side.

The final match was raging on despite the result with the SanWedge team never trailing since the 2nd hole.

A crucial win on the 16th for the EuroDov Tour pairing of Allan/Duncan stopped the match going Dormie but the SanWedge team would hit back to go 1 up with 1 to play.

The SanWedge team found tree trouble right and as the crowds gathered round 18 Stuart Allan’s final drive of the day sailed down and trickled inches passed the hole to lie 5 feet from the pin.

After walking down, the fairway to a jubilant EuroDov team Denis Duncan stood over the putt with the entire gallery in silence and rolled in the only Eagle on 18 all day to halve the match and finish the inaugural Carnegie Cup in style.

The final result was 13.5 – 10.5 in favour of the EuroDov Tour. A win that many expected, and one that EuroDov Tour captain Kevin Brannan would have been relieved of, but I can’t help but feel the winner on the day was the Carnegie Cup.

A new edition to the EuroDov Tour, co-sanctioned by the SanWedge Tour, bringing two Tour’s, their cultures and players together and delivering a successful tournament that had everyone on the edge of their seat throughout the day.

I for one can’t wait for the 2024 edition and I am sure there will be many players awaiting the selection criteria on the EuroDov Tour with bated breath.