It’s been 8 months in the making, but as Andy Love struck the opening shot of the maiden Invitational the field of eight players were ready to lock horns in their quest to be the first name on the highly coveted trophy.

The story of The Invitational trophy stretches back to the season ending Montgomery Cup where the top 8 players earn an opportunity to tee it up at The Invitational. The EuroDov Tour selected a new venue to host the prestigious event and everything from the course to the weather couldn’t have been better.

The players were met with a pristine course that was ready to test them right to the last. The greens were firm, fast and the pin positions were not for the faint hearted.

The players heading out in two fourballs in order of their qualification, out first was Andy Love, Graeme Connor, Stephen Hedges and Kevin Brannan followed by David McColgan, Barry Cunningham Denis Duncan and Jim Robertson.

The opening hole is a relatively innocuous par 4 that requires, for most, a lay up with a short iron or hybrid before a simple chip to the green. However, the tone was set early as the course took 8 strokes from the field with the average score a bogey on the hole.

The early exchanges in the morning round saw McColgan, Connor and Duncan fair the best with their scores 1-over par, 2-over par and 2-over par respectively through the first 6 holes. At the turn McColgan had drop 1 further shot to lie on 2-over par and enjoy a 4-shot lead over Connor.

The back nine however was a Jekyll and Hyde story for the field players like Hedges (9 shots) and Duncan (12 shots) hemorrhaged strokes to the course others like Love (3 shots) and Robertson (4 shots) were clawing them back from early slip ups.

The shot of the day undeniably goes to Jim Robertson who sent a 5 wood 170 yards towards the Par 5 14th for it to perfectly take the course and green contours and the ball come to rest inches from the cup for a tap in eagle.

Whilst Love and Robertson were clawing shots back on the field McColgan, who parred the par 5 14th and was sitting at 2-over par entered an uncharacteristic slump dropping four shots over the last four holes to slip 6 off the lead.

After round 1 the leaderboard looked like this; Robertson +3, Love +4, McColgan & Connor +6, Cunningham +9, Brannan +15, Duncan +19 and Hedges Snr. +22.

As the players headed for lunch, they knew that there was all to play for especially given the course conditions and the ever-firming greens.

The players went out in reverse order of the leaderboard and the front group consisting of Hedges Snr, Cunningham, Duncan, and Brannan made no time in clawing strokes back. Both Brannan and Duncan started the fight back and had found 1 and 2 shots respectively in the opening three holes.

The leaders’ group behind were not so valiant as Love held steady thru 3 and McColgan and Connor dropping shots it was Robertson who capitalized stretching his lead to 2 shots over Andy Love after 3 holes.

However, Robertson’s wheels began to fall off on the par 3 4th where he carded a double bogey after a poor tee shot, then 2 holes later he’d card an 11 on the par 33 6th to all but end his chances of winning the maiden Invitational tournament. By the time the field had played the 6th hole Love enjoyed a 4-shot
lead over McColgan, who was a further 3 shots a head of Connor his nearest rival.

As the players reached the turn Love’s lead had dropped to just 3 shots and Connor had pulled within 2 of McColgan, setting things up for an exciting back-nine challenge.

Love had a disastrous start to his back 9 that included a ball in the water on 11 and a tee shot out of bounds on 12. By the time the field had just 6 holes to play Loves lead was cut to 1 over McColgan and with Connor a further 3 shots back it was becoming a 2-horse race.

Love carded an excellent eagle at the par 5 14th and despite a hiccup on the par 3 15h he walked to the 16th tee in the knowledge he had a 4-shot lead over McColgan.

Love went with his trusty 4-hybrid off the tee on the downhill par 4 16th. But as the round was entering its final stages, he fanned the shot way out right with it coming to rest on the 14th fairway. McColgan sent a 4 wood down the left edge of the fairway.

Love’s recover found the trees separating the fairways and his third shot towards the green caught the wind and sailed out of bounds. McColgan’s second was on the heart of the green and Love made it to the dancefloor in a card wrecking 9. By the conclusion of the hole Love’s 11 was contrasted with McColgan’s 4 and for the first time since the 16th hole in round 1 McColgan regained the lead.

McColgan was 1 shot in front with two holes to go, and his chance to claim the career grand slam. Unlike the morning round, McColgan opted to take an iron from the tee and almost ended his chances immediately. His tee shot sailed towards the out of bounds on the left, only for it to ricochet back on to the course. Love responded by sending his 4-hybird straight down the middle, business as usual.

McColgan made it to the green for 3 and with love in thick, rough and with tree trouble it seemed he might just do it. However, Love had other ideas. Love, with a shot to rival Robertson’s in the morning, extricated the ball from the horrible lie and sent it towards the green with the ball finally coming to rest 18 inches from the hole. From what seemed like an impossible situation Love had hammered home the birdie and as McColgan missed his par putt regained the lead with one hole to go.

With another clinical 4-hybrid dispatched safely into play, Love could enjoy the walk up 18 knowing the fate of the competition was in his hands. McColgan would card a bogey and Love a par handing Love a 2 shot victory and the coveted Invitational Tournament trophy.

It was a fantastic day to be on the course, and the field played the game in good spirit, fighting to the last with the ambition to have their name etched in eternity.

The Tournament billed itself as the coming together of the Tour’s greatest players a battle for the ages and it got that all the way to the 36th hole and could have no more deserving winner than Andy Love.