The Birth of a Tradition

On September 7, 2013, twelve golfers stepped onto the Montgomery Course at Kinross with little idea of what they were starting. The inaugural RyDov Cup was meant as a one-off challenge, captained by father and son William and David McColgan. Instead, it became the foundation of a competition that would grow into the EuroDov Tour’s season-closing jewel, a ritual as ingrained as the autumn mist that settles over Kinross each September.

The opening session of that first Cup belonged to Team Wills. Four-and-a-half to one-and-a-half up after the singles, William McColgan’s side needed just one more point in the afternoon Greensomes. The trophy seemed destined to head his way.

But this was the day the RyDov Cup revealed its character. With their backs to the wall, Team Dov swept all three Greensomes matches. The final point fell to Christopher Bell, who holed an 18-foot putt with the whole competition on the line. It was an extraordinary comeback, quickly dubbed the “Collapse at Kinross.”

Ten years later, the Cup remains defined by that volatility. No lead is safe, no captain can relax, and no one ever forgets the last putt holed on the 18th.

Chaos Returns

It would be three years before the Cup returned, but when it did in 2016, Kinross delivered chaos again. Five debutants joined the fray, captains were once again father-son pairings — David McColgan versus John Hedges — and the morning session was one-sided.

Team Hedges led 4–2, and the Cup seemed poised to head their way. Yet McColgan’s afternoon gamble, splitting up his successful 2013 partnership with Marcus McCran, paid off. He and Stuart Sutherland scored heavily, McCran and Denis Duncan backed them up, and Team Dov once again turned the Cup on its head. The comeback was complete: “Chaos at Kinross” became the new headline.

Two Cups, two improbable reversals. The RyDov Cup had already carved out a reputation as golf’s theatre of the absurd.

McColgan’s Dynasty

By 2017, the competition had grown. The field expanded to sixteen, captaincy rules were formalised, and the Cup was set as an annual fixture. For David McColgan, it was the last year of his captaincy regardless of the result — three wins was the maximum tenure.

He left nothing to chance. A strong morning saw Team Dov build a 5.5–2.5 lead. The afternoon was tighter, but once again the Cup came down to the final green. Alan Duncan, making his debut, holed from sixteen feet to secure the decisive point.

It gave McColgan his third straight triumph. He became the Cup’s first dynasty captain, the only man to claim three in a row. For the first time in its brief history, the RyDov Cup had a reigning power.

The Rout of 2018

If the early years had been defined by knife-edge finishes, 2018 was a blunt instrument. John Hedges captained a side stacked with rookies — Allan Kinnear, Ryan Strachan, David Hutcheson, and Daniel Peck among them — and they tore through Team Hardie.

Kinnear’s 8&6 demolition of Marcus McCran remains one of the Cup’s most lopsided results. Strachan added a 7&6 win. By lunchtime the score was 7–1, and the Cup was effectively over. The afternoon sealed an 11–5 rout, still the largest margin in Cup history.

For once, Kinross produced no miracle. Instead, it produced dominance, and the question lingered: was a rout less satisfying than a collapse?

Duncan’s Breakthrough

The Cup of 2019 brought fresh history. Denis Duncan became the first challenging captain to defeat a defending captain, overcoming Team Hedges in a contest that swung on the very last hole.

The morning singles were balanced — 5.5–4.5 to Duncan’s men — and the afternoon saw tight matches throughout. On the 18th green, Duncan himself stood over a putt that would seal the Cup. He holed it. A new captain joined the honour roll, and Kevin Brannan quietly established himself as the Cup’s lucky charm: five appearances, five Cups.

The Pandemic Cup

In 2020, Covid threatened to halt the run. Restrictions hung heavy over Kinross, and the tournament went ahead only with late approval.

The atmosphere was strange — fewer spectators, distanced gatherings — but the competition itself was lively. The morning session saw an unusual number of halved matches, a rarity in RyDov history. The afternoon, by contrast, was brutal: three matches finished by the 13th hole. Duncan retained the Cup, 12.5–7.5, in the quickest session ever played.

It wasn’t the most elegant edition, but it was symbolic. Even in a pandemic, the RyDov Cup endured.

Baxter Breaks the Streak

By 2021, Duncan was chasing his own three-peat. His opponent, Greig Baxter, sensed opportunity.

The Cup was tight all day. Singles finished with only a one-point margin. The afternoon was volatile, with matches swinging rapidly. An altercation on the 14th tee between David McColgan and Curly van Spaendonck added spice.

In the end, it was Stephen Green and McColgan who delivered for Team Baxter, their clutch play on the closing holes sealing the Cup. Duncan’s bid for a dynasty was stopped, and Baxter’s name was etched into the record books.

Brannan’s Commanding Win

The expansion to 24 players in 2022 brought new challenges — bigger squads, more rookies, more variables. It also brought the year of Kevin Brannan.

Elevated to captain at the last minute after a withdrawal, Brannan seized his chance. His side dominated from the outset, eventually winning 16.5–7.5 — the largest margin of victory in the 24-player era.

It was a performance that cemented Brannan’s reputation as the Cup’s talisman. His personal points record might look modest, but as captain, his record is nearly flawless.

The 10-Year Anniversary

The 2023 edition was perfectly scripted: the 10-year anniversary of the Collapse at Kinross. And, fittingly, it delivered one of the most dramatic finishes yet.

Team Love led at lunch, but Team Brannan stormed back in the afternoon to tie the match. With just three holes remaining, Duncan and Harwood led 2Up and looked set to deliver the Cup.

But in scenes that mirrored 2013, Hedges and Rose rattled off three straight holes to snatch victory. The entire field gathered around the 18th green as Rose’s putt dropped. Team Love lifted the trophy in front of a raucous crowd.

It was chaos, collapse, and comeback all over again.

Gowens Triumphs

In 2024, the Cup marked its 10th edition. The fog rolled over Kinross, as if to summon the ghosts of Cups past.

Andy Love captained the old guard, Paul Gowens led the new. The morning was brutal: Gowens’ team stormed into a 9.5–2.5 lead. Love rallied his side in the afternoon — Daniel Peck and Denis Duncan avenged their morning collapses, David McColgan partnered Danny Wood to victory — but the deficit was too large.

Gowens’ side reached 13.5 points, the Cup was secured, and a new captain joined the list of winners.

The symbolism was powerful. Eleven years on from 2013, the Cup had grown from 12 players to 24, from a novelty to a tradition. And the latest chapter showed that new leaders, new rookies, and new moments of drama will keep the competition alive for another decade.

The Numbers Behind the Legends

The Cup’s stories are unforgettable, but the stats provide another perspective.

David McColgan: 10 appearances, 16.5 points, 8 Cups. The dynasty figure.
Alan Kinnear: 6 appearances, 15.5 points, 86% win rate, 100% Greensomes. The efficiency king.
Richard Mair: 3 appearances, 9 points, 100% singles and Greensomes. Perfection in miniature.
Kevin Brannan: 8 appearances, 8 points — but 7 Cups. The lucky charm.
Daniel Peck: 62% overall, but only 14% singles. Greensomes assassin, singles struggler.

Rookies like Joel Morrison, Danny Wood, and Rory Malloch: stunning debuts, but legacies still to be written.

The stats highlight contrasts the stories sometimes hide. Longevity doesn’t always mean dominance. Winning Cups doesn’t always mean scoring points. And some players build reputations on formats that mask their weaknesses in others.

Conclusion: Folklore and Future

Ten editions in, the RyDov Cup has established itself as the EuroDov Tour’s emotional heartbeat. It is part competition, part theatre. No matter the format — 12 players or 24, captains veteran or rookie — it always delivers drama.

The numbers confirm the legends of McColgan, Kinnear, and Brannan. They reveal the vulnerabilities of Peck and William McColgan. And they tease the potential of Mair, Morrison, and Strachan.

But the RyDov Cup has never been just about statistics. It has been about moments: Bell’s putt in 2013, Duncan’s dagger in 2019, McNeill’s comeback in 2023, Rose’s nerveless stroke on the 18th.

As the Cup looks to its second decade, one thing is certain: at Kinross, it is never over until the last putt drops.