Whilst the drama of the RyDov Cup unfolds on the first Sunday in September, it is often easy to forget that the players are fighting it out for the final Major of the year.

The Montgomery Cup is the Tour’s oldest individual honour, first won by Barry Cunningham in 2013. It is awarded to the player with the best strokeplay score in the morning session.

Having analysed the 2023 RyDov Cup, and commented on the matches it is no surprise that Callum McNeill was victorious in lifting his first EuroDov Tour Major. His match against Daniel peck was an epic battle that saw him trodden over on the front 9 but a back 9 that will remain one for the ages.

His front 9 of 41 was almost definitely enough to blow him out of contention but his back 9 of 31 was unbelievable and carried him all the way to the winners circle.

In only his second season on Tour McNeill lifts his first piece of solo silverware, to go with his win at the Anstruther Medal alongside fellow SanWedge player Ally Greenshields.

We caught up with McNeill after his win to get his reaction. Let's start at the obvious point, how does it feel to win your first Major on Tour?

“It’s a relief as much as anything, I’ve put myself in a few good positions and thrown them away. Glad to get one over the line this weekend.”

You've become one of only 8 players to have won a Major on the EuroDov Tour, how does that sound?
“It’s obviously great to be in such esteemed company. Unfortunate that it came too late for the Order of Merit relegation exemption though.”

This isn't just your first Major but also your first solo win on Tour - how does this set you up for 2024?
“It sets me up well, the experience of putting together a good round and knowing how I need to play to win can only help.”

Let's look at your round - you got off to a fairly benign start 1 over through 4 holes, then you carded a double bogey, bogey through 5 & 6. What was going through your mind on the opening holes?

“At that stage I was more concerned with the 9 shots I was giving Peck. He started really well so I had no option but to just try and play steady golf to hang in there with him.”

You almost pulled your round back with a par on 7 and birdie on 8 until a triple bogey on 9 saw you card a front 9 41 - did you think it was all over at this point?

“At that stage I was 4 down in the matchplay and had no idea where I was strokeplay. Was just a case of hoping to card a few birdies and seeing where that took me.”

You started the back 9 birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie - what does that do to your mentality in the competition?

“That was the first stage I thought qualifying for the Invitational was a possibility. I felt I’d got into a good rhythm at this stage and just put together good hole after good hole.”

You came home with par-birdie-par-par, did you realise at this point you were in the hunt?

“I had no idea about how the stroke play standings were looking. I actually said to Peck, Lynchy and Jim that I’d played the back 9 well but presumed someone would’ve gone much lower on the front 9.”

Your back nine was a radical shift from the front 9, carding a 5-under par 31, what changed?

“The positive mentality I gained from watching Peck lose a few balls off the tee on consecutive holes really helped me. I knew then that just playing steady golf would win me holes and that translates into a good score.”

It's the first Major ever won on a countback - does that devalue it?

“Absolutely not, firstly you’ve got to string 18 holes of golf together, but more importantly it shows your ability to weather storm and finish strong.”

After suffering the loss of your OoM Card and heading to Q-School in 2024, what signal does this one send to your fellow players?

“It shows anyone on Tour can beat anyone on their day. Hopefully I can bounce straight back up from what will be a pretty competitive Q-school and be competitive straight away in 2025.”

With the introduction of Q-School it’s a first for the Tour, a EuroDov Tour Major winner losing their Order of Merit card in the same season. But that shouldn’t sour the result for McNeill.

He’s come on Tour and built on event and after event and his game has the ability to win in any situation. His 2023 RyDov Cup is one that’ll hang long in the memory, he’s shown when he’s down, he’s never out, and that’ll stand him in good stead heading in to 2024.

2024 will see him play the Invitational Tournament and he’ll rightly start the tournament the favourite, he’ll also have a go at the Montgomery Cup in 2024 and could easily add to his Major haul.