09/04/09
Tournament favourites David Law and Paul Shields had narrow escapes in their fifth round matches at the Scottish Boys Championship hosted at Royal Aberdeen, this afternoon.
Shields, last year's runner up, had a slow start until he eagled the 6th, holing a 40 foot putt to take the lead for the first time in the match. The Kirkhill player birdied the next for a 2 hole cushion before Lothians player Chris Low fought back with a birdie at the 9th to hem the margin back to 1up.
Shields won the 12th with a par only to lose momentum again when he bogeyed the 13th before reclaiming his 2 hole lead at the 14th with a par. Both players halved the next with pars before Tantallon's Low dented the margin again with a par at the 16th, which meant the Boys cap had to fight for his 1 hole advantage to the last.
“I missed two wee putts on the way home which could have saved me sooner," said Shields. "Getting through to this stage is not pretty golf, it's just about the results and getting the red numbers on the board.”
He added, “At the 17th the battery on my Powercaddy failed and I had to push my bag to the last so I was not keen to go to extra holes today.”
For Hazlehead's Law it was a tighter affair, after Germany-based Simon Taylor took the Boys internationalist to the first extra hole by holing a monster putt at the 18th to keep his chances alive.
Taylor’s putter had proved red hot throughout the bout, while he also narrowly missed a hole in one at the third before rattling in a 15 footer at the 4th to take the lead over the number one seed. However Law showed his prowess living up to his number one seeding to bounce back to take the match to all square at the 6th.
Law went ahead for the first time with a birdie at the short eighth and while Taylor squared the match again at the 13th he looked to have conceded a telling advantage when he bogeyed the 16th. Playing the last Law looked to be in control until Taylor holed that 45-footer to force the pair to revisit the first hole again.
Taylor’s form finally eluded him when making his approach to the green, losing both his first and provisional ball to concede the hole. Law, who had also been pushed all the way in his fourth round tie, said after the match “Those were two really close matches today and I am glad to have got through it.
“I felt more comfortable coming down the back stretch a second time but the pressure was certainly there.”
In the North East derby it was an easier affair for the other remaining seed in the tournament, Chris Robb from Inchmarlo, defeating Steven Smith from Deeside 6&5. Robb, who won the first Junior Tour event of the season at Kingsbarns recently, was in fine form to ease to his quarter final appearance tomorrow against his fellow national squad member Daniel Young.
The Perthshire player, who had never previously gone beyond the 16th in this tournament, was taken to the last by Borders hopeful Simon Fairburn. Young, who plays out of Craigie Hill and Blairgowrie, commented, “I was four up with four to play and I started to give the game away. He won the next three holes with pars which took me to new territory beyond the 16th, so it was a relief to finish that match.”
Anticipating his quarter-final tie he added, “I have played with Robb in foursomes at U16 level and we are pals off the course, so tomorrow will be a good test.”
Troon hopes of retaining the Boys silverware, won last year by Michael Stewart, are still intact after Marc Smith beat John Drummond from Strathlene 3&2. The Ayrshire Junior Match Play runner up surpassed his hopes of reaching the fourth round and now meets Lothians player Daniel Kay in the quarter finals tomorrow.
Fellow Ayrshire player, Jack McDonald – grandson of former Walker Cup player Gordon Cosh, who also played in the Eisenhower Trophy for GB&I on two occasions – also made it through to tomorrow’s quarters after beating Philip Gordon from Paisley 6&5.
Daniel Edwards 2&1 win over Ian Redford further strengthened the northern challenge in the quarter finals tomorrow.
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