In the crisp twilight of Kinross, under the atmospheric glow of a Friday night finish, the EuroDov Tour crowned its first ever Scratch champion. And fittingly, it came down to the very last putt — well, technically, the 19th hole.

David McColgan, emerged as the inaugural winner of the EuroDov Tour Cup, prevailing in a dramatic matchplay final against a resurgent Callum McNeill. It was a contest that ebbed and flowed with tension, errors, brilliance, and emotion — all capped off by a concession on the first playoff hole that handed McColgan a hard-fought 1-up victory.

“I never led once in regulation,” McColgan said afterwards. “It was all about staying in the fight, and trusting the process.”

A Brutal Beginning for the Favourite

From the outset, few could’ve predicted the route this final would take. McColgan, widely regarded as the favourite heading into the match, stumbled out of the gates. After losing the opener, he bogeyed both the 2nd and 3rd — gifting McNeill an early 3-up advantage.

“I couldn’t control the driver at all today,” McColgan admitted. “The face was just misbehaving. But it wasn’t the time to hit the panic button — there was plenty golf left.”

McNeill capitalised, sinking a tidy par on the 3rd while McColgan struggled with the fairway bunker. The 4th was halved, but McColgan came to life with a 3 on the par 3 4th and a tidy par on the par 4 4th to pull the match back to 1Up McNeill.

“Has someone spiked Dave’s prematch meal?” McNeill joked afterward. “I just tried to keep it in play and make good decisions.”

The Fightback Begins

It wasn’t until the 7th — a tricky par 4 — that McColgan landed his first real punch. A birdie there, following a string of steady pars, squared the match and signalled a potential turning point.

“I don’t know if it was the turning point,” McColgan reflected, “but it was definitely a reset moment.”

That momentum, however, was short-lived. On the 8th, McColgan lost his tee shot and made double — the latest in a string of tee-box woes — handing McNeill a 1-up edge again.

But it was the 9th where McNeill really stamped his presence. After a wayward drive that found the trees, he executed one of the shots of the match: a low stinger draw under the branches to just short of the green, converting for par.

“Significantly more interesting than Dave’s boring par,” McNeill quipped. It was hard to argue.

Eagle, Energy, and a 3-Up Lead

The 11th proved to be the highlight of McNeill’s round. After driving into position A, he struck a sublime 6-iron to just 10 feet. The eagle putt never looked like missing. The lead stretched to 2-up. Then on the 12th, a McColgan bogey extended it further. With six holes to go, McNeill was 3-up and in cruise control.

“Try not to bottle it,” McNeill said when asked what the strategy was from there.

But the game doesn’t always reward control. Sometimes, it rewards persistence.

The Final Charge

McColgan, unfazed, saw his opportunity on the par-3 14th, where McNeill’s tee shot found the trees. A safe par was enough to win the hole.

Then came the match’s defining moment: the 15th.

McColgan, in a greenside bunker after a poor wedge approach, faced a slippery up-and-down. He clipped it perfectly to seven feet and rolled in the breaking putt to apply pressure. McNeill couldn’t match.

“I knew if I can make this up-and-down, the pressure was on McNeill” McColgan said. “And when it dropped, I knew momentum was with me.”

McNeill’s internal monologue was harsher: “His up and down on 15 was excellent, he had no right to make that.”

Tree Trouble and Twisting Tension

The 16th was chaos. McColgan’s tee shot found the trees again — the third time in the round — but he was granted yet another favourable bounce.

“I was inwardly seething,” McNeill said, referencing the string of miraculous bounces McColgan benefitted from. “To beat Dave, you probably need those to go your way.”

Still, both players managed impressive par saves — McNeill from 14 feet, McColgan from 12 — to halve the hole.

McColgan’s 7 iron to 25 feet on 17 put all the pressure on McNeill and when the latter’s tee shot found the trees McColgan had squared the match with 1 to play.

18th Hole Drama

McColgan again faltered with the driver, pulling his tee shot into the trees.
“My driver troubles were back,” he sighed.

McNeill and McColgan lay on the green for 3 and when McNeil’s putt lagged up McColgan had a 15 footer for the match and as the crowds watched on the putt looked dead centre before running out of steam and finishing millimetres from the hole.

The 19th: Final Blows

Back to the first tee they went.

“Middle of the green, two putts, see what happens,” McNeill said about his mindset heading into the playoff.
McNeill hit first — a solid 9-iron, but it caught a hard bounce and bounded into a nasty patch in the left-hand bunker. McColgan, playing smart, found the centre of the green.

McNeill’s lie was brutal. “No stance, nothing,” he said. “I knew it was curtains straight away.”

He could barely extract the ball, and with the Cup all but decided, he extended his hand in concession. McColgan had done it. Scratch Champion.

Post-Match Reflections

“It’s a hard way to win,” McColgan admitted. “Callum played some brilliant golf — probably the best I’ve ever seen from him.”

Indeed, McNeill had reason to be proud despite the sting. “It’s going to eat away at me for a day or so,” he said, “but good to prove I can play at that level.”

Kinross Golf Courses — the spiritual home of the EuroDov Tour — and the Montgomery Course provided the perfect theatre. Its risk-reward holes, tree-lined fairways, and tense closing stretch once again proved why it is held in such regard by players and fans alike.

“It’s a great canvas for a brilliant tournament,” McColgan said. “It asks questions, but gives opportunities — perfect for matchplay.”

Legacy in Motion

With the win, McColgan adds another title to his growing 2025 collection, joining his earlier triumphs and further cementing his legacy as one of the Tour’s most formidable competitors.

“This is probably the most pressure I’ve felt since the 2024 Invitational,” he admitted. “But I trusted the process. And here we are.”

One champion crowned, one battle etched into history. The EuroDov Tour Cup could not have asked for a more dramatic debut.