The morning singles are in, and the analysis has been shared, EuroDov Reporter has Team Love leading Team Brannan by the narrowest of margins 7-5 heading into the afternoon round.

In 8 RyDov Cups the team leading in the morning has gone on to win the Cup, but three times the afternoon matches have overturned the result, and none more famously than the 2013 and 206 editions where Team Dov overturned a 4.5 – 1.5 deficit to win 7.5 – 4.5 and a 4-2 deficit to retain the Cup 6-6.

The afternoon matches matter and with such a tight morning session they could be crucial so let’s take a look at each match, and EuroDov Reporter’s insight.

So, let’s get down to match 16.

The middle order in the afternoon can often prove to be very pivotal. Team Love sends out rookie Stuart Anderson, partnered with Vice Captain Kieran Lynch. They’ll face RyDov rookie Ally Greenshields and Richard Mair. Let’s dissect this match-up.

Kieran Lynch boasts a 40%-win rate in this format, and that’ll give Love some hope. However, this pairing is not new to the EuroDov Tour, and boasts little success. In 2 appearances together the pairing has failed to win a single match in the Anstruther Medal – a trend Love will be hoping they can overturn in the 2023 RyDov Cup.

Their opponents are an all SanWedge Tour pairing, of Ally Greenshields and Richard Mair. Both of these players were undefeated in their 2023 appearance at the Carnegie Cup, Mair winning 3&2 and Greenshields squeaking out a squared game.

In 2022 Mair, made his debut in the RyDov Cup, and a 5&3 victory was his in the afternoon.

With little over a month to go there is still time for handicap fluctuations but currently the handicap favour goes to Team Love, by a sizeable 6 strokes.

So, what does this all tell us? 6 strokes is a reasonable handicap in this format, it’s one third of the course, however, given Anderson and Lynchy’s form in recent years and the golf displayed by Mair and Greenshields it’s hard to see any thing but a win here for Team Brannan.

Mair’s quiet and reserved game can be the rock on which Greenshields powerful game might thrive, this game could be over early and momentum moving to Team Brannan.

Team Love 12 – 8 Team Brannan