The season is well and truly underway, and the first Major is in the bag.

The field were met with a course in impeccable condition that challenged every aspect of the game. It was a tight affair all through the morning and went right down to the 18th green where Andy Love’s par putt sealed a two-shot victory to lift his second Major.

We met up with a few of the players to get their reactions on the event.

The Invitational was a brand-new event on the EuroDov Tour in 2022, how did you find it?

Brannan, who’s 2nd round comeback secured him a 4th place finish, said, “The event was great, the standard of golf maybe did not live up to the best scores from last year’s Montgomery Cup. However, over 36 holes, it shows everybody has a chance.”

Stephen Hedges, who finished last in the field said, “it’s another great event on the ever-expanding EuroDov Tour.”

Graeme Connor, who finished third said, “It was a very good event, very gruelling in the heat at times. I was just glad my back injury held up for 36 holes.”

David McColgan, EuroDov Reporters pre-event favourite and eventual runner-up said, “it was a great day on the golf course and for the Tour. It has felt like a long time coming, since we all qualified in September, but having that select field mate the event that little bit more special.”

The event was held at Tulliallan Golf Course, a new venue for the Tour. What were your thoughts on the course?

McColgan said, “it was thoroughly enjoyable. You couldn’t fault the condition of the course it was presented impeccably. The hardest part of the course was the approached with small, firm and fast greens some approach shots were impossible to hold and a few pins certainly were not for the faint hearted.”

Brannan said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge that Tulliallan presented. It was my first visit, and the course was in fantastic condition. Although not the longest, with lots of greens surrounded and protected by deep bunkers, accuracy was key. The greens were in fantastic condition and rolled fantastically, though pin placements by the greenkeeping staff ensured that there was a large risk/reward at going pin seeking.”

Hedges Snr. Said, “it was great being back on the 1st course I joined as a mere boy 45 years ago, the course was in great condition & a worthy addition to the EuroDov brand.”

And Graeme Connor had high praise saying, “this is my second visit to this track, enjoyed it last time and enjoyed it again. It was in fantastic condition and the greens are the best I have played this year.”

Getting a bit more personal now, how did you rate your play over the day?

Hedges Snr. kept it short and sweet, “lost for words is an understatement.” He qualified in third place with a 3-over par round at Kinross in 2021, but struggled home with a 42-over par over 36 holes at Tulliallan.

Brannan said, “my morning round let me down and was always going to be a struggle after carding a 7, 9, & 10 in the opening 5 holes. I'm not an early morning person.

My golf improved significantly in the afternoon with me heading the field in the afternoon session.”

Brannan opened with 15-over par round that left him 12 shots off the lead in the morning but his 4-over round in the afternoon led the field leaving him just 9 shots adrift of the eventual winner.

Graeme Connor said, “terribly. My short game is not in a good place, and my putting is terrible, both of which were a strong aspect of my game last season. Apologies to my playing partners for my regular verbals and tantrums out there. At the end of the day, I finished 3rd when playing terrible, which was highly surprising, but gives me a level of comfort moving into the 2nd half of the season.”

Runner-up McColgan said, “I didn’t play well at all. From the top to the bottom of my bag I struggled all day and that was disappointing. The only hole I truly played well all day was the 36th, where I strung together 4 good shots to finish the day. I was bitterly disappointed to play the way I did on a course that was so well presented.”

McColgan carded uncharacteristic back-to-back 6-over par rounds on a day that he failed to really challenge.

The eventual winner was Andy Love he becomes only the second player in EuroDov Tour history to win multiple Majors what are your thoughts on that?

McColgan said, “It’s great for Andy and can’t be happier for him. He hung in there through a couple of rough patches on the day to win out and you can’t take that away from him.

He’s not had the greatest of starts to the season and seemed to be struggling in confidence and I hope this win will spur him on for the rest of the season.”

Brannan said, “having been in Andy's group in the morning, he played lots of solid golf and put himself into a position with a chance going into the afternoon. Andy was the strongest off the tee I've ever seen him, consistently putting himself in play and having a view with his second shot.”

Hedges Snr. said, “well done to Andy, great achievement winning his 2nd straight major.”

Graeme Connor said, “never seen someone consistently hit a hybrid so well, I played with Andy in both rounds, and he played very well and fully deserved his victory.”

Finally, you all make up the first field for the Invitational Tournament, what would you say to players ahead of the 2022 Montgomery Cup who may be considering qualification?

Brannan said, “as with all EuroDov events, it was played in a fair and good spirit with a healthy competitive edge.

Over 36 holes, you're never out of it even if you have one bad round. I'm looking forward to September and the Montgomery Cup, where doing well in the stroke play now brings the opportunity to qualify for the second iteration of the Invitational Tournament.”

Hedges Snr. said, “definitely a worthy addition, well organized as always and fingers crossed I play well enough to qualify for the 2023 event.”

McColgan said, “it’s a great day out, and great to play in an elite field. I’d encourage everyone to try and make sure they are in the 8-man field for 2023 and see if they can add their name alongside Andy love in the Tour history books.”

Graeme Connor said, “as you will see by the scoring, nobody lit the heather on fire, so if you turn up and play a steady round you will be in with a shout. It’s good to test yourself against the best guys on Tour but you have to turn up.”

That concludes our catch-up with the field and our coverage of the season’s first Major. Tour fans however don’t need to wait long for Major number 2 as Sunday 22nd May marks the first round of the EuroDov Cup at The Mere, Cheshire, where a 9-player field will take on the 54 holes to see who wins the 2nd Major of the year.