The From the Locker Room Team rolled out of bed at an ungodly hour, jumped in the van and headed for Glasgow airport, the promise of sun and salubrious locker rooms replacing the cold, dark and dank winter locker rooms of West Fife was like a Siren’s Call.

How wrong we were…after 3 and half hours cooped up on a plane we arrived in Marbella to torrential rain, courses closed and players like drowned rats as they left the course. But, like the professionals we are, we hid in the locker room and stayed out of the rain, but we still brought you a review of the 2025 EuroDov Cup from start to finish.

It was indeed a dramatic start to the 2025 EuroDov Cup, El Paraiso Golf Club, who were pencilled in to host round 1, was flooded and closed, so the Tour took the decision to move to Al Ferini Golf Club, and credit to the players who embraced the chaos ahead of round 1.

As the players stood on the first tee, the sun was shining, but the looming rain was very visible on the horizon. McColgan, as the defending champion, had the honour on the tee and sent a 2 iron down the fairway to get the event underway.

McColgan was the only player to hit the fairway in the first group, but by the end of the hole Richard Mair held the lead with a par, the only player to par the hole from the group. He’d be joined in the lead by Stuart Allan who also parred the hole, but a treble bogey at the 2nd hole would see Allan drop out of the lead – for now!

Mair’s par on the first hole was bettered on the second hole as he carded the first birdie of the 2025 EuroDov Tour to take the solo lead.

However, Mair had a mare (we’ve been dying to write that for years) on the par 3 third hole. After pulling two tee shots off the tee into the ravine, Mair limped to a 9, which saw him fall off the lead to be replaced by his fellow co-sanctioned San Wedge player Callum McNeill. After a double bogey first hole, McNeill’s par-par score put him in the lead.

The weather was very much playing it’s part by now and as we completed the 5th hole we had had an 11, 9, 8 and four 7’s on the scoreboard. However, McNeill wasn’t having any of it and carded an eagle on the first par 5 of the tournament to extend his lead. To 3 over McColgan.

However, McNeill’s time would come and a costly 8 on the 7th hole, when he found the greenside pond reduced his lead to 1 over McColgan and Gowens.

A birdie on the par 3 8th from Gowens, and a par from McNeill saw the lead tied. Despite McNeill losing the lead on 8, his up and down from a downslope across the green was arguably the best up and down of the whole event.

McNeill and Gowens would hold the lead through 9 holes, one shot ahead of McColgan, 2 shots ahead of Allan, 3 over Mair, and 8 ahead of Brannan and Green.

The 10th hole would swing the lead from the off, a fantastic birdie from Gowens saw him take the lead by one, the lead would stay at 1 until the 11th where McNeill’s triple bogey was bettered by Gowens’ bogey.

We were in the thick of the worst weather as the back nine got underway, but Gowen’s seemed undeterred and his back 9 was 2 shots better than the next players, Richard Mair and Kevin Brannan.

By the end of round one Gowens had etched out a 5-point lead over Mair and McColgan, with McNeill and Allan one shot further behind, Brannan 10 shots off the front and Green 18 shots back.

As the players trudged off the course it was clearly a test of endurance rather than a round of enjoyment and it would be interesting to see how day 2 unfolds.

As the players arrived at Marbella CC the day couldn’t be any more different than day 1, the sun was shining, not a raincoat in sight, it felt like EuroDov Cups of old as the players lunched on the terrace, warmed-up on the range and joked around the putting green.

Gowens’ 5 shot lead was eaten into straight away as Mair carded a birdie on the opening and Allan carded a birdie to claw his way back into the tournament. Allan had halved his 6 shot deficit by the second hole with a par.

Gowens punched back for the first time on the par 3 3rd with a birdie and a triple bogey from Allan restored his pre-round deficit.

McColgan carded his first birdie of the tournament on 4, but Gowens lead remained strong until a triple bogey on the 8th hole saw him pegged back by Richard Mair. Mair’s opening 8 holes saw him card 4 birdies to turn claw back the 5 shots he trailed by after round 1 and when Mair carded his 5th birdie on the 9th hole he had reclaimed the lead he lost on the 3rd hole in day 1.

At the turn on day 2 Mair held a two-shot lead over Allan and Gowens and by 4 over McColgan.

The first hole of the back nine would throw the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons as Mair’s lead was cut to one over Allan and Gowens then birdies from Allan and Mair on 11 saw the lead, for the first time a three-way tie.

If Mair was rattled at this stage, it only served to motivate him because a birdie on 13 was followed by 4 more birdies on the back nine.

After day two, Mair had clawed back a 5 shot deficit and created a 4 shot lead heading into round 3. Stuart Allan was four back, McColgan and Gowens 7 shots behind, Brannan 11 behind and McNeill 12 behind and Green in last place.

Mair’s 3-under par second round put him very much in the driving seat, and players entered round 3 with a huge chasm to close, but Mair had shown them it can be done.

Day 3 wasn’t quite the sunshine and smiles of day 2, but was very much a mix of the two days with periods of sun and warmth, and periods of intense rain, thunder and lighting. It had it all.

Mair opened round 3 with a great up and down from the back of the green to save a par. On the other side of the card was Allan who hit a fantastic approach from the fairway bunker for it to come out a bit too hot and end up OB. An 8 from him saw him slip 8 shots off the lead.

However, the drama was only beginning, as Allan’s approach on 1 found OB, so did Mair’s on 2, a 9 from the leader saw the lead reduced to 3 over McColgan, 4 over Gowens and 5 over Allan. On the very next hole, still reeling from his 9 Mair pulled his tee shot, which would eventually be declared lost and limped to a triple bogey 7 and for the first time in the entire event McColgan, EuroDov Reporters favourite going in to the tournament joined the lead with Mair, with the pair just 4 in front of Allan and Gowens.

The pair would maintain the lead through 4, but Allan and Gowens clawed a shot back on them.

As the players approached the par 5 5th hole, the rain had started and they were faced with a tactical par 5 that featured water down the entire left side and an approach shot to a highly elevated green.

McColgan expertly picked his way through the hole, with a 4 wood off the tee, 7 iron lay up and wedge to 10 feet. He’d walk away with par and for the first time the solo lead.

Despite a bogey on the par 3 8th McColgan would take the lead through 9 holes and into the final back 9 of the tournament. He held a 2 shot lead over Mair, 4 shot over Gowens and 5 over McNeill.

Allan had dropped out the hunt after an 8 on the par 4 6th.

The 10th hole, which has played a part in the lead in every round, saw Gowens card a par to McColgan’s bogey to reduce the lead to 3.

McColgan would open bogey-bogey and Gowens gained a shot on the 10th and Mair reduced McColgan’s lead to 1 on the 11.

A par for McColgan on 12 steady the ship, but Gowens managed a Birdie to drag him within 2 of the lead now.

McColgan hit back with a birdie on 13 whilst Gowens and Mair only managed pars to settle ship. After 14 holes McColgan’s lead was 4 over Gowens and 5 over Mair and it seemed like he’d coast to his 14th Major.

As the players stepped on to the 15th tee McColgan sent a 2-iron down the fairway, playing for position. However, from the middle of the fairway he found the greenside bunker and stuttered to a triple bogey. His lead was reduced to 1 over Mair and 3 over Gowens and with three holes to play it was very much an open tournament.

When Mair double bogeyed the 16th, his tournament was all but over, but McColgan and Gowens both parred the hole to keep the difference at three. On the par 3 17th Gowens carded a fantastic birdie to McColgan’s par and as the pair stood on the Par 5 18th the difference was just two.

With Gowens safely down the fairway McColgan hit his last drive of the day and found the right edge of the 18th fairway. Gowens found some tree trouble from his second and with water and an elevated green in front of him McColgan opted to lay up with a 2 iron.

With 7 iron in hand McColgan took on the front pin on 18 and landed his ball some 12 feet from the pin with a chance at birdie. Gowens lay on the back edge of the green with 2 putts for par.

As Gowens rolled his putt to the hole, and fell short he tapped in for a par, leaving McColgan in the knowledge 2 putts were all he needed to win the EuroDov Cup, and in McColgan fashion he took those two putts, nestling the first putt just inches short before tapping in to claim the victory.

The final round concluded the EuroDov Cup, a tournament that had it all, weatherwise and drama wise. We had five different players in the lead at one point and it showcased the calibre of competition on Tour perfectly.

We’ve been From the Locker Room and we hope you enjoyed this tournament review, stop by our Winner’s interview to hear McColgan’s thoughts on his 14th Major win.