A Tradition Deepens

There are dates and places in golf that acquire an almost mythical quality. For the EuroDov Tour, the RyDov Cup has become one of those hallowed markers of the season, a closing chapter that is as much about legacy as it is about scorecards. The 2025 edition promised to add another layer to its folklore. Played once more across the Kinross courses, the match brought together two captains whose names already resonate throughout EuroDov history: Stuart Allan, calm and calculating, and Paul Gowens, a captain by reputation and by family, eager to etch his own story into the Cup’s history.

Twelve players a side, 18 holes in the morning singles, then the traditional six Greensomes in the afternoon: it is a format that allows no hiding places. Each point is precious; each hole has the potential to swing the entire contest. The 2025 playing promised not just individual brilliance but also collective destiny. And as the results would show, it delivered all of that and more.
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The Teams

Team Allan, resplendent in red, was led by captain Stuart Allan. The line-up was studded with familiar faces: Allan Kinnear, Alan Duncan, Ally Greenshields, Scott Gowens, David McColgan, John Hedges, Kevin Brannan, Brian Ritchie, Stephen Hedges, Craig Miller

Team Gowens, in blue, was marshalled by captain Paul Gowens and vice-captain Stuart Sutherland. They fielded the experienced Denis Duncan and Graeme Connor, alongside Daniel Peck, Callum McNeill, Richard Mair, Andy Love, Jim Robertson, Joel Morrison, Matt Moores, and Stuart Anderson. On paper, it was a squad rich in Cup experience, bolstered by in-form rookies.

Both teams balanced stalwarts with hungry new faces. Yet beyond the numbers, the Cup has always been about chemistry, resilience, and timing.
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The Morning Singles: A Rollercoaster of Red and Blue

The opening twelve matches set the tone for the day. They were not simply contests between individuals; they were duels that ebbed and flowed with the rhythm of the Cup itself.

Match 1 – David McColgan def. Stuart Anderson 8&6

McColgan wasted no time imposing himself on the rookie Anderson. After halving the opener, McColgan went 1Up on the second and then systematically dismantled his opponent with clinical golf. By the turn, he was 5Up, and the match was effectively over. Anderson never settled, spraying approaches wide as McColgan hit fairways and greens with icy precision. The inevitable handshake came on the 12th green, McColgan delivering Team Allan the dream start: a crushing 8&6 victory.

Match 2 – David McColgan def. Jim Robertson 3&2

If McColgan’s first win was domination, his second was attrition. Against Robertson, he found himself trading blows early before tightening the screws around the turn. Robertson’s erratic long game cost him dearly, especially on holes 4 and 6, where he ceded control. McColgan’s short game was the difference — saving pars and applying pressure until the 16th, where a calm par sealed a 3&2 win. Two matches, two points: McColgan had already stamped his authority on the Cup.

Match 3 – Paul Gowens def. Kevin Brannan 1Up

This was matchplay at its rawest. Brannan and Gowens slugged through 18 holes of momentum swings. Gowens went ahead on the 6th with a birdie, only for Brannan to respond on 8. The lead changed hands four times, with neither man pulling more than 1Up ahead. Standing all square on the 18th tee, it was Gowens who produced the shot of the morning — a nerveless approach to 15 feet. Brannan blinked first, three-putting from distance, and Gowens coolly took the hole and the point.

Match 4 – Brian Ritchie def. Graeme Connor 1Up

Ritchie against Connor was a war of attrition, scrappy golf punctuated by flashes of brilliance. Connor had the early advantage, winning the 2nd and 3rd, but Ritchie steadied with a par on 5 and took control late on. A decisive par at the 17th gave Ritchie the slender lead he needed, and when both halved 18, the point was sealed for Team Allan.

Match 5 – Ally Greenshields def. Denis Duncan 4&2

This contest had the air of a passing of the guard. Greenshields, still relatively fresh to the Cup, displayed maturity beyond his years. His ball striking was relentless, while Duncan looked uncharacteristically ragged. Three wins on the front nine built a cushion, and Greenshields pressed home the advantage with pars on 14 and 16 to secure a 4&2 triumph. Duncan, usually a reliable talisman, looked visibly frustrated — a sign of a wider challenge facing Team Gowens.

Match 6 – Daniel Peck def. Allan Kinnear 4&2

Peck versus Kinnear was billed as a clash of styles: Kinnear’s grinding consistency against Peck’s flair. It was Peck’s day. After early exchanges, Peck hit his stride on the middle stretch, winning 6 and 8 with clinical precision. Kinnear fought gamely but had no answer to Peck’s putter, which seemed magnetised to the hole. The win was sealed on 16, Peck 4&2 the victor and a vital point for Team Gowens.

Match 7 – Alan Duncan def. Matt Moores 3&2

Alan Duncan’s experience showed as he absorbed Moores’ early fire before calmly dismantling him over the middle holes. Moores briefly threatened on the front nine, but Duncan’s composure told, especially with clutch putts on 11 and 13. A par on 16 closed the door. Duncan walked away with a 3&2 win — a steady, captain’s-like contribution.

Match 8 – Andy Love def. Craig Miller 2Up

This was scrappy but compelling. Love, a veteran with a knack for Cup moments, stumbled early but fought tooth and nail to grind out a win. Miller had the advantage at the turn but collapsed under pressure down the stretch. Love seized on mistakes at 15 and 16, then closed the match on 18 with a nerveless par. It wasn’t pretty, but it was crucial.

Match 9 – Callum McNeill def. John Hedges 1Up

One of the tightest matches of the day. McNeill trailed early after Hedges birdied the 2nd, but he rallied with steady play through the back nine. The match was all square on 16, but McNeill produced clutch golf — a birdie at 17, then a steely par at 18 to clinch it. The 1Up win epitomised his growing reputation as a Cup performer.

Match 10 – Joel Morrison def. Stephen Hedges 7&6

This was as brutal as it gets. Morrison, a rising star, eviscerated Hedges with unrelenting golf. He won six of the first eight holes and never looked back. By the 12th, the handshake was inevitable. A 7&6 demolition was a statement — Morrison announcing himself as a name to be feared in RyDov folklore.

Match 11 – Stuart Sutherland def. Scott Gowens 4&3

The vice-captain delivered when it mattered. Sutherland played smart, disciplined golf, grinding down young Gowens with relentless pars. By the 9th, he had a 2Up lead, and he stretched it further with wins on 12 and 15. The 4&3 win reflected his role as the steadying hand in Team Gowens’ line-up.

Match 12 – Richard Mair def. Stuart Allan 2Up

The captain’s match always carries extra weight. Allan, under pressure, started solidly but faltered mid-round, losing 5 and 8. Mair, ice-cool, punished mistakes and carried a 1Up lead into 17. When Allan found trouble off the tee, Mair pounced, winning 2Up. For Team Gowens, it was the perfect captain’s scalp.
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The Morning Verdict

By the end of the singles, the Cup was finely balanced. Team Allan had surged early through McColgan, Ritchie, Greenshields, and Duncan, but Team Gowens steadied through Peck, Morrison, Sutherland, and Mair. The scoreboard read 7–5 to Team Gowens at lunch. A slender lead, but with Greensomes to come, momentum was everything.
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Afternoon Greensomes: Partnerships and Pressure

The afternoon is where strategy comes alive. Pairings matter as much as form, and captains earn their stripes by how well they match personalities and playing styles.

Match 1 – Connor/Sutherland def. McColgan 3&2

In a bold gamble, Allan sent McColgan out solo, but the handicap was telling. Connor and Sutherland played steady, team-first golf, never giving McColgan an inch. Despite his heroics in the morning, he couldn’t carry the burden alone. The two-man unit wore him down, closing the match 3&2.

Match 2 – P. Gowens/Mair def. Brannan/Ritchie 4&3

This was clinical from the captain and his partner. Gowens and Mair dovetailed beautifully, one steady, the other aggressive. Brannan and Ritchie fought hard but had no answers to the barrage of fairways and greens. A 4&3 victory sealed the first afternoon points and stretched the overall match to 7–9.

Match 3 – D. Duncan/Peck def. Allan/S. Gowens 2Up

Momentum tilted firmly blue in match three. Allan and young Gowens looked well placed, but Duncan and Peck combined grit with guile. Pars at 14 and 15 gave them the edge, and a solid close on 18 sealed the 2Up win.

Match 4 – McNeill/Morrison def. Hedges/Hedges 2&1

Father and son against the youthful pairing of McNeill and Morrison made for wonderful theatre. But the younger men proved too strong. Morrison, fresh from his 7&6 morning blitz, carried his form into the afternoon, holing crucial putts. They closed it out on 17, another 2&1 win to Team Gowens.

Match 5 – Greenshields/A. Duncan def. Love/Moores 4&3

Finally, a red spark. Greenshields and Alan Duncan were relentless, feeding off each other’s energy. They overpowered Love and Moores, who looked flat after the morning. A 4&3 win gave Team Allan a glimmer.

Match 6 – Kinnear/Miller def. Anderson/Robertson 6&4

In the anchor match, Allan’s men produced their best golf of the afternoon. Kinnear and Miller gelled seamlessly, hammering Anderson and Robertson with birdies at 7, 9, and 11. The rout ended 6&4 — a morale boost, but was it too late?
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The Final Tally

The afternoon belonged to Gowens. Winning four of the six Greensomes dominating the match in a fashion not seen for years. The final score: Team Gowens 15 – Team Allan 9. A margin that, while convincing on paper, masked how close the contest had been until the early afternoon.
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McColgan’s Triple Burden

Perhaps the most remarkable subplot of the 2025 RyDov Cup was David McColgan’s workload. Already one of the Cup’s most decorated veterans, McColgan was asked to shoulder a responsibility few have ever faced: playing two singles matches in the morning and then being sent out alone in a Greensomes match in the afternoon.

The circumstances were unusual — late withdrawals and captaincy strategy left Allan with little choice. But the optics were extraordinary: McColgan walking to the 1st tee twice in the space of an hour to contest back-to-back singles, and then, after delivering two victories, stepping into a format designed for two players… on his own.

McColgan did not disappoint in the morning. He dismantled Stuart Anderson 8&6 before grinding down Jim Robertson 3&2. In so doing, he singlehandedly banked two of Team Allan’s seven morning points. It was a feat that showcased his endurance as much as his skill, a reminder of why his name sits so prominently in the all-time standings.

The afternoon was another story. Paired against Graeme Connor and Stuart Sutherland — two battle-hardened competitors — McColgan fought valiantly but was always battling uphill. The weight of playing solo in a format built around alternating shots became too much, and the 3&2 loss, though inevitable, did nothing to tarnish his reputation. If anything, it elevated it.

This kind of triple duty is virtually unheard of in RyDov history. In fact, records suggest it is the first time a player has contested three full matches in a single day – Brannan played two solo singles matches in 2022. It is a testament to McColgan’s grit and his stature in the Tour that Allan turned to him when the team needed stability most.

For historians of the Cup, McColgan’s 2025 campaign will stand out not simply for the points he won, but for the sheer audacity of his schedule. It was a reminder that legends are not only built on victory margins but on the willingness to take on impossible tasks in service of the team.

Mair Untouchable – again!

Richard Mair once again proved his RyDov Cup pedigree, extending his remarkable unbeaten streak. With a gritty 2Up victory over Stuart Allan in the singles and a composed Greensomes performance alongside Paul Gowens, Mair retained his 100% career record — now four appearances, four wins. Few players in Cup history have managed such perfection over multiple years, and Mair’s ability to consistently deliver under pressure has cemented his reputation as one of the competition’s most reliable performers.

Statistical and Historical Ripples

The RyDov Cup is never just about the year in play — it is a cumulative tapestry. The 2025 edition shifted legacies in subtle but significant ways:

• David McColgan: Now on 11 appearances, he added two more singles wins, taking his total to 18.5 points (56%). He remains a bedrock of Cup history.
• Joel Morrison: With two wins from two, he jumped to a 67% career rate, his 7&6 thrashing of Stephen Hedges already one for the archives.
• Richard Mair: Four appearances, twelve points, and a flawless 100% record — his efficiency is unmatched.
• Stuart Allan: The captaincy loss will sting; his personal RyDov record now hovers at 44%, solid but short of the elite tier.
• Paul Gowens: Captaining his side to a win adds a layer of prestige. Four appearances, eight points, and now a 100% Cup-winning record as leader.

In broader terms, Stuart Sutherland’s steady hand took him to 19.5 total points — the all-time leading scorer. Daniel Peck reinforced his reputation as a Greensomes titan, and Ally Greenshields pushed his win percentage beyond 75%, marking him as one to watch in future Cups.
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Legacy of the 2025 RyDov Cup

The final margin may suggest dominance, but those who walked the fairways know the truth: this was a Cup balanced on a knife edge until Gowens’ men seized the Greensomes. For Allan, it is a tale of what might have been — a strong singles showing undone by afternoon pairings. For Gowens, it is vindication, proof that leadership is not just about playing well but about galvanising a dozen men into a cohesive force.

As the EuroDov Tour calendar moves forward, the echoes of Kinross 2025 will linger. McColgan’s double win, Morrison’s demolition, Greenshields’ coming of age, Mair’s ice-cold precision — these are the threads that will be woven into the Tour’s folklore.

And so the RyDov Cup marches on, its legend growing, its stories compounding. For now, the trophy rests with Team Gowens, but history has taught us one thing: nothing in this Cup ever stays the same for long.