East Lothian Junior Golf League

Supporting junior golf in East Lothian, Scotland

Results – Championships and Team Strokeplay 2022!

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The results of the 2022 ELJGL Championships are now available on Golf Genius here. Apologies for the delay. Photos of the prize giving and prizewinners are in a separate post now. There was some spectacular scoring! Our Championships were combined with our Team Strokeplay event for the first time. Sadly, 2 of our 11 member Clubs did not manage to field the minimum of 3 Players to compete in this Team event. 

There were 62 players, with the 36 older U16/U18 Boys completing 2 rounds. Everyone played off the medal tees. 

Kilspindie was in great shape for our visit, so many thanks to our hosts, Craig and Chris, and to the Kilspindie members, and our Starter John Anderson. Thanks as usual to Shona Paton. The help received on our scoring software, from Jenny Potter of Golf Genius, was invaluable in sorting out the various divisions, age groups and Teams. Provost John McMillan was on hand to present some of the prizes to the younger Boys, and to the Girls. Thanks John! Thanks to the R&A for donating so many lovely prizes, and we have carried some of them over for the upcoming Scottish Junior Team Championships. 

It was a very complicated and a long day for the organisers! So much so, that the prize-givings for the U18/U16 Boys and for the Team event, were held over! The final winning scores, and list of prizewinners, are now published below.

Gullane dominated the Boys scratch event and were deserved winners of the Team Strokeplay Trophy, over 18 holes in the morning, with a 5 under par total, best 3 from 4 scratch scores. Craigielaw, helped by Corey Hagan’s 11 under par round of net 58, won the handicap Team event.

There were 10 girls competing in the Championships, and Evie McCallum took the scratch spoils with a gross 70, level par. Kate Thomson of Winterfield, won the net with a 59!

Dunbar’s newest recruit from Bathgate, Corran Fraser, who only joined the Club and the League on the day before the event, scooped the 36 hole handicap event with a great total of 126, playing off a handicap of 8!

Scottish Golf might note some of the Boys’ scratch scores! A 36 hole gross total of 128 by Fergus Brown, and a 2nd round of 62 by Andrew Hendry! Corey Hagan of Craigielaw, aged 13, scored a scratch 67. Our new Scottish Boys U12s Champion, 11 year old West Links Junior member Ryan Killorn, broke par with a 68! 

We have now secured a venue for our annual Championships next year. They will be at Longniddry on Friday the 4th August. Please put this in your diary so you don’t miss out!

The Scratch Team Strokeplay event scheduled for July had to be cancelled due to there being very few Teams entering. The schools Summer holidays were probably the reason for that. So, we combined the event with the League Individual Championships in August, when 62 Players turned out. So 9 Teams were able to compete in the Team event. Gullane, in the best 3 out of 4 scores format, scored a gross 5 under par gross Team total. Fergus Brown was their top player with a gross 64, and he was ably supported by Andrew Hendry and Jack Lucas. Longniddry were the closest challengers just 3 strokes behind. In the Handicap event, Craigielaw scored an impressive 13 under par total, led by Corey Hagan off 9, who scored a great 11 under par 58! Adam McLean and Jack Barnes scored net 68s, to push Longniddry into 2nd spot, only 3 strokes behind, despite Ben Austin’s great score of net 63! Many thanks to Kilspindie for hosting the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scottish & Lothians Champions!

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The Scottish Boys, Girls, and Mens and Womens Championships were concluded recently. Several of the League’s current or former Players had outstanding success.

In the Scottish Girls Championships, Freya Constable of Kilspindie, current handicap 0.9, became Champion by winning the final by 3&2. Well done Freya! Photo below. Scoring here. Evie McCallum current handicap 1.3, from the East Lothian Girls Team, was a beaten semifinalist.

In the Scottish Boys event, Harry Bent of Gullane, current handicap +3.7, tied for leading qualifier with a 1 over par score of 143, and in total, 16 Players with links to the League made the cut by being in the top 64 places. All three Mukherjee brothers qualified for the matchplay championship by being in the top 9 of the 36 hole qualifying process. Cameron Mukherjee of Gullane made it all the way to the final. At only 14 years old, with current handicap of 0.3, that is a tremendous performance! 

Cameron’s older brother Oliver from Gullane, at only 16 years old, won the Mens Scottish Amateur title, beating Connor Wilson of Castle Park in the semi-final. Oliver’s handicap is currently +3.7! Well done to all the Mukherjee Boys! Scoring here.

Kiron Gribble of Dunbar, now playing off +0.5, was tied 6th in the Scottish Boys U16s Championship. Scoring here.

Ryan Killorn age 11, from West Links Juniors, now playing off 3.4, won the Scottish Boys U12s Championship, narrowly beating Fraser Walters of Gullane now playing off 2.8. Well done Ryan and Fraser! Scores here. Photo below.

Alexander Yuill of Gullane, was tied 5th in the Scottish Boys U14 Championships. Scores here.

Grace Crawford of West Links Juniors, started all of this run of success for East Lothian Players by winning the Scottish Womens Open at Troon in April. Scores here. Photo below. Grace has since competed in the British Girls Amateur at Carnoustie where she was the only Scot amongst the 64 qualifiers. Sadly Grace lost in the first round.

Connor Wilson of Castle Park won the Lothians Men Championship at the Royal Burgess for the 2nd time and Jake Johnston of Dunbar won the Lothians Boys Championship at the Braid Hills. Rory McClafferty reached the semi. They jointly led in the qualifying round with 70s. Fraser Walters of Gullane was the U14s trophy winner. Well done to them both!

All the Players are a great credit to their Home Clubs, to the County, and to our League! Well done everybody! Dave Warren, League Secretary.

 

MD8 Haddington results!

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These are the results from Match Day 8 at Haddington. Apologies for the delay. The website was down for some maintenance. Thanks to Haddington for hosting us, and to Shona and Steve for their usual excellent help. Haddington romped in as winners on their own course, just 4 points ahead of the consistent Craigielaw Team. The Team and Individual scores can be seen below, and the Order of Merit standings can be seen at this link, There are only 2 more Match Days to go, so if you only have 4 appearances in the League this season to date, you have to play in both MDs 9 and 10 in order to feature in the prizes! Both MDs are open for entries on Golf Genius. 

 

 

 

 

 

MD7 Craigielaw results!

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A big thanks to Gordon Smith and Craigielaw for hosting MD7 on the hottest ever golf day for our League! Thanks to Shona and Jack, for all their help, particularly Jack, who was the water-bearer to the Players!  Well done to Craigielaw for achieving top spot for the first time this season! Kilspindie, with their 3rd consecutive second place, and West Links Bass were both close behind. In the individual net, first timer Kate Thomson led with 43 points, narrowly beating Charlie Mack and Andrew Irvine. In the gross section, Lewis Russell scored 36 points, one point ahead of Fergus Brown and Magnus Braby. All scores have been uploaded to WHS and can be seen on the Golf Genius App. The Orders of Merit have been updated and can be viewed in the App or here at this link. Click on “Standings” and choose the scratch or handicap lists. Sean Gallacher leads the scratch OOM by 23 points from Magnus Braby. Alex Martin has taken over the lead in the handicap OOM but has two close challengers in Cameron Brown and Oscar Wilkinson. However, even Players who have played in only 3 MDs could catch the leaders as the total points will be by taking the best 6 out of 10 scores. The next MD is on Sunday the 24th at Haddington. Please get your entries in asap using the Golf Genius App. And please enter the ELJGL Championships on the 15th August at Kilspindie. It is our biggest event, with lots of prizes.

 

Watson Cup – all the results

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This is the overall total score for the 2022 Watson Cup Matches. The three scores in each match are the results of the front 9, back 9, and finally the 18 hole match. Congratulations to the South Carolina Team who won a closely fought contest by the score of 27 points to 24. Well done to the East Lothian and Edinburgh Team for putting up a good fight and several matches just turned against them otherwise the result could easily have been reversed! In each of the games, there was one point for winning each 9 holes, and one point for winning each 18 hole game. Thanks to Golf Genius for managing the complex scoring format! Photos will be published soon.

Here are the results of the singles at Gullane No. 2.

The draw for Day 3 at Gullane No.2 for the Singles is below. Here is a downloadable version. There are going to be some incredible matches! Come along and watch. Please do not use the Gullane Visitors Clubhouse. They do not have a passing trade licence so non-playing spectators will be asked to leave. Players etc are assembling instead at the Watchman Hotel near the Children’s Golf Course at 1100 at the latest. There is parking and a bag store there for the Players golf bags. They will all be given Goodie bag with food, as the matches start at 1215. Other Parents and supporters can take lunch in the Watchman from a menu, for £14. Good luck tomorrow to all the Players.

 

These are the results of the Foursomes at Muirfield on Wednesday.

 

Watson Cup D2 draw!

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This is the draw for Day 2 of the Watson Cup for the Foursomes at Muirfield. Here is a printable version. Would both Teams and Reserves, and Officials, please arrive in full blazer, shirt, tie and chinos. Please arrive at 1300 at the earliest. Leave Clubs at the East entrance and place kit, the one to be used is noted on the draw below, in the locker room. Then proceed through the outdoor route to the Club Room for lunch at 1345. Team photos outside Clubhouse. Warm up from 1430. First Tee at 1500. Photos from Royal Burgess will be added later.

These are the results of the Wednesday Four-Balls at Royal Burgess. Well done to the South Carolina Team for easing into a lead – 8.5 points to 3.5 points. But there are still 39 points to play for!

 

This is the draw for Day 1 of the Watson Cup. The two Captains, DJ Russell and Stephen Behr, have exchanged Team Sheets. Here is a printable version. These look like being tremendous matches! Timetable below:

Watson Cup timetable & info Day 1

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The Timetable Day 1 for the Fourballs at Royal Burgess Players and Officials arrive no later than 1100. Dress code for Players and Captains is navy blazer, white shirt, Watson Cup tie, and the sand coloured chinos from Ralph Lauren. For Committee members it is navy blazer, white shirt, club tie of your choice, and grey trousers. For all other Parents and Siblings and Guests, dress code is optional, but casual wear must be smart, and excludes the wearing of jeans, football shirts, trainers and caps.

The Timetable Day 1 for the Fourballs at Royal Burgess Players and Officials – arrive in your blazers etc no later than 1100. Dress code for Players and Captains is navy blazer, white shirt, Watson Cup tie, and the sand coloured chinos from Ralph Lauren. For Committee members it is navy blazer, white shirt, club tie of your choice, and grey trousers. For all other Parents and Siblings and Guests, dress code is optional, but casual wear must be smart, and excludes the wearing of jeans, football shirts, trainers and caps.

Home Team Players – please take your team kit in the colours mentioned in the draw above. Plain blue shirts, green half-zip top, white shorts and blue cap. Please take your black East Lothian League golf bags with you and use them either as carry bags, or on trolleys. Play well, enjoy the challenge, and respect the “Spirit” of the game, the course, your opens  and etiquette. 

The Vice Captain of Royal Burgess will welcome everybody, and make a short speech. All present will be asked to view a message from Tom Watson, after whom this event is named. 

The group will then move to the dining room at 1230, where the balance of the Prosecco may be consumed with the lunch. There is a menu which is attached. You may choose any items and the cost of the lunch will be covered equally by both the SCJGA and the Home Team. 
 
The Players have access to 10 tubes of practice balls from the Pro Shop. The range is for iron clubs only as it is limited in range. After the Players are warmed up they will be called to the first tee where photos will be taken of each group. 
 
Each game will have a Captain in attendance. Scoring on the Golf Genius App will be maintained on the App by a Captain or by a Committee member who will have access to input scores. Everybody else, whether in Scotland or USA can see the scoring. Please download the Golf Genius App. On opening Golf Genius you will see a field asking for a GGID. Please enter WATSONCUP all in one word. On the next page go to “Tee Sheets.” Then you will see the draw. To see the scores, click on the three bars at the top left of the screen, and choose either “Leaderboard” or “Scorecards” to see the progress of the matches. 
 
Players, there are rules of the competition some of which you know about – including the scoring system – 1 point for winning each 9, and one point for winning the match. The Committee, The Captains and finally a Referee if one is needed, will be on hand. They will have the full version of the Rules of the Competition. 
 
After all 4 matches are finished, the draw for the fourballs at Muirfield will be done and published later.
 
Good luck everyone. Dave. 07595 301425

Watson Cup 2022 Itinerary and daily reports.

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Draw update!

Is anyone interested in forming an Instagram Account for the League! Let me know if you do. Dave Warren.

This is the latest version of the FULL ITINERARY for the visit by the South Carolina Team, correct at 2330 on 3rd July June. Please check back here regularly to see if there are any updates. All matters such as photos, scores, press releases, rules of the competition etc will appear under the menu heading of Watson Cup 2022 from now on. You will also see on this website a Calendar. In there, you will see entries on each day of the visit, which contain more information. Please check those daily. 

DAY 4 SUNDAY THE 3RD JULY. The East Lothian/Edinburgh Team had a day off yesterday but are at Royal Burgess today. All 9 Players and 3 Reserves turned up to play in quite a strong wind, and these photos below name the Players involved. 

L-R below – Sean Gallacher, Harry Bent, Callum Waugh, Jake Johnston

L-R below – Neil Canavan, Ryan Gallagher, Cameron Adam, Ciaran Paterson

L- R below – Jamie Napier, Luke Greig, Connor Currie, Sam Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SCJGA Team enjoyed a courtesy practice round at Gullane No. 2 today. Mark Elam has now turned up to bolster the SCGA support Team. Before the Team left the Golf Lodge, they paraded their wonderful new team gear, kindly donated by Ralph Lauren.  A Committee member, Mike Robson, kindly drove the bus to and from the venue. 

L-R Tip Price, Adam Hunt, Burch Harrison, Andrew Gregory, Major Lenning, Hugh Falkner, Rowan Sullivan, Jerry Bruns, Luke Walmet, Stephen Behr.

L-R Tip Price, Adam Hunt, Burch Harrison, Andrew Gregory, Major Lenning, Hugh Falkner, Rowan Sullivan, Jerry Bruns, Luke Walmet, Stephen Behr.

DAY 3 SATURDAY 2ND JULY. The SCJGA Team went by train to Edinburgh for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. We secured a volunteer to take the Team bus and their golf clubs to Royal Burgess for their evening practice round. The driver, David Hardwick played with them, and brought them back safely to North Berwick having stopped for chips in Gullane.

DAY 2 FRIDAY 1ST JULY In the morning, Watson Cup Chairman Dave Warren played host at North Berwick to Brandel and Bailey Chamblee. Dave invited Major winner Catriona Matthew to join the game, and a good match ensued, in which the two Ladies had a deserved win! Brandel is one of the top golf commentators in the USA and works for the Golf Channel. I recently watched this interview about the LIV Tour in which Brandel “nails” it! It is well worth a watch!

The SCJGA Team were invited to use the practice facilities at North Berwick, but to the astonishment of their hosts, they elected instead to ascend the hill known as Berwick Law, an old volcanic plug, 613 feet high, which dominates the Town. This is the view they would have seen with the famous West Links in the picture. 

The SCJGA Team then enjoyed an excellent lunch at the North Berwick clubhouse with guests Catriona Matthew, Home Team Captain DJ Russell, Watson Cup Vice President Douglas Connon, Golf Lodge hosts Tom and Emma Hill, NB Pro Martyn Huish, SCGA’s Mike Whitaker, Dave and Sue Warren, and Brandel and Bailey Chamblee. There was some excellent searching questions posed to our distinguished guests by the Junior Golfers, and much good advice given by Catriona, Brandel, Martyn, Douglas and DJ!  The SCJGA Team then played the West Links at North Berwick at 5 pm. The East Lothian and Edinburgh Team had a practice round at Gullane No. 2 accompanied by Captain DJ Russell and Committee Members Jack Rogan, Derek MacGillivray and Colin Hogg. The Chamblees then walked parts of Gullane No.2 and met some of the home Players so there was no favouritism!

DAY 1 THURSDAY 30TH JUNE – The SCJGA Team of 9 players and Stephen Behr had an eventful flight over the Atlantic after a 4 hour delay in Boston! They arrived at Edinburgh at 1247, amazingly with ALL their golf clubs, baggage and the Watson Cup! They were met by Dave and Sue Warren, and Colin Hogg, who had both a 17 seater bus and a luggage van with them. After currency exchange at Marks and Spencer, and a snack, and a change of bus driver, the Team left for North Berwick, arriving to heavy rain and thunder, about 1630. At 1800, the SCJGA Team, with Sue and Dave, enjoyed a lovely meal in the Catriona Matthew Lounge in the North Berwick Clubhouse, where the Team were introduced to a “John Panton” non-alcoholic drink. They unwittingly ate haggis, which was cunningly concealed inside the chicken! Photo below proved that all made it safely here. Also pictured is Food and beverage Manager Naim Abbas. The Team then enjoyed a leisurely walk along part of the golf course on a beautifully calm and sunny evening, before returning home for a well earned rest. Meanwhile, around half of the East Lothian/Edinburgh Team had their courtesy practice round at Muirfield, accompanied by Committee members, and they enjoyed a dry round after all the showers. Dave.

MD6 Kilspindie results!

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Dear Players, these are the results from MD6 at Kilspindie. Our thanks are due to the management and Members at Kilspindie for the presentation of the course and the hospitality received. The League thanks Jack Rogan, the joint Secretary of the League, who ran the whole day, with the help of Shona Paton, Steve Austin, and Starter John Anderson. Scoring was good given the strong wind, with Gullane emerging as winners, but by only 1 point from Kilspindie, but 9 points ahead of 3rd placed Craigielaw. The best individual scores were, in the scratch section, by Sean Gallacher, Ryan Killorn and Brodie Cunningham all with 36 points, but the count-back resulted in Sean being placed first, then Brodie, and then Ryan. In the net section, Harry Lee of Gifford scored 43 points, closely followed by Murray Bowsher and Rory Cunningham. The scores have been uploaded to the WHS and the Season Standing in the Orders of Merit have been updated. Check on your App and go to “Member Portal” then Season Points, then you will see the Scratch and Handicap Orders of Merit. 

 

Watson Cup Team clothing

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These are the Team outfits which the East Lothian and Edinburgh Team and Reserves, and Team Captains, will be wearing at the three Matches in the Watson Cup. See photos below.

Day 1 at Royal Burgess – Green zip top, plain blue shirt, and white shorts.

Day 2 at Muirfield – White zip top, striped blue shirt, and blue shorts.

Day 3 at Gullane No. 2 – Pink zip top, white shirt, and blue shorts – again.  

Players and Captains should turn up at the host Clubs on the days of the 3 matches all wearing the sand coloured chinos, with navy blue blazers, white shirts and the Watson tie (Which is still to arrive!) The Captains’ kit includes Captains’ armbands.

Committee members should turn up wearing navy blue blazers and grey trousers, white shirt and Watson tie. Everyone should bring the correct golf kit for the day, and a suit bag in which their formal wear can be secured. Committee members have one set of kit from Murray Golf, courtesy of Brian O’Connor’s donation from North Capital. These will have to be worn at all 3 days.

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