LOTHIANS CROWNED SCOTTISH MEN’S AREA TEAM CHAMPIONS

The Men’s Area Team Championship Finals got underway at Largs Golf Club on Saturday, with Lothians, Renfrewshire, North and North East the four qualifying teams for this year’s competition.

After two action-packed days of golf, it was Lothians who emerged victorious, overcoming Renfrewshire 7–2 in Sunday’s final to lift the trophy.

Both eventual finalists secured narrow 2–1 victories in Saturday morning’s foursomes to put themselves in strong positions heading into the afternoon singles.

For Lothians, Angus Carrick and Craig Davidson set the tone with an emphatic 6&5 win, before Kai Laing and Jamie Duguid added another point with a commanding 5&3 victory against the North.

Renfrewshire also edged ahead in their opening encounter with the North East. Matthew Clark and Barry Hume claimed an impressive win over former Scottish Men’s Amateur Champion Chris Sommers and teammate Ben Murray, while Michael Daily and Stewart Watt secured the second point with a 2&1 victory.

Despite both the North and North East finding some early success in the afternoon singles, neither side was able to mount the comeback required.

Renfrewshire produced a convincing performance to run out 5–1 winners against the North East. Mark Thomson gave the North East some early encouragement with a 4&3 victory, but Renfrewshire soon kicked into gear and took control of the remaining matches. Hume eventually sealed their place in Sunday’s final, closing out his match with a 2UP victory on the 18th.

It was a similar story between Lothians and the North. Duncan Stewart put an early point on the board for the North, but it wasn’t enough to halt a strong Lothians side, who went on to record a 4–1 victory. Their wins included an impressive 5&3 success for Duguid and a 3&1 victory for Georgie Jackson.

That set up an East versus West showdown on Sunday, with two strong teams going head-to-head for the trophy.

Lothians entered the final as the most successful side in the history of the competition, having lifted the title 15 times since 1977. Standing in their way was an in-form Renfrewshire team appearing in the final for the third consecutive year, having most recently lifted the trophy in 2024.

For Lothians, it marked a first return to the final since their last title triumph in 2023 at Paisley Golf Club.

Lothians made an emphatic start to Sunday’s final, completing a clean sweep of the morning foursomes to take command of the contest.

There had been little to separate the sides over the opening nine holes, with all three matches tight and momentum shifting back and forth. As the morning progressed, however, Lothians began to pull away.

Davidson and Carrick produced the most dramatic finish of the session. A birdie putt on the 18th forced their match into extra holes, where the Lothians pair completed the turnaround to secure the opening point.

Not long after, Laing and Duguid added another. Their match had featured plenty of twists and turns, but the pair eventually took control to close out a 2&1 victory.

Jackson and Marc Reid then completed a perfect morning for the east side, securing the third and final foursomes point and giving Lothians a commanding 3–0 advantage heading into the afternoon singles.

Renfrewshire faced an uphill task but responded strongly, taking two of the first three points available through Clark and Paul Dorrian to keep their hopes of a comeback alive.

However, Lothians remained in control of the contest. Carrick secured another crucial point before Jackson and Laing delivered the final decisive points back to back which put the result beyond Renfrewshire’s reach and secure the Men’s Area Team Championship title.

Lothians went on to take the afternoon singles 4–2, completing a 7–2 victory and capping an impressive weekend at Largs.

Lothians captain Kenny Glen was full of praise for his players after the victory.

“I’m delighted, just so proud of the guys this weekend. They’ve played a lot of golf throughout the season.”

Glen also credited the strength in depth available to Lothians, while acknowledging the challenge of selecting the team from such a large pool of players.

“The Lothians is such a big county, there are a lot of players, but it’s difficult to select the correct team. When you get a result like this, it just validates the selection.”

Player Ross Colquhoun also reflected positively on the weekend and was full of praise for Largs Golf Club and the condition of the course despite challenging weather.

“It’s a testament to the golf club. The weather hasn’t been great this weekend, but the way the course held up was absolutely phenomenal.”

The triumph sees Lothians reclaim the Men’s Area Team Championship for the first time since 2023 and adds a 16th title to their record as the most successful side in the history of the competition.

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