Amateur golf at its best - The McAlpine winner then plays club tie and is back at work at 8am

These days, most of the events in the amateur game are won by full-time players and, yes, the majority of them are youngsters who are either at college in the US or at university in Scotland.

Which is why it was great to see a Scottish Mid-Amateur Championship restored to the schedule this year and The McAlpine, held in memory of Kevin McAlpine, a former Scottish Amateur champion who passed away at just 39 in October 2023, at his home club of Alyth, produced a fitting winner in Edzell’s Will Bremner.

“It felt great,” said Bremner, who plays off plus five, of triumphing in the event’s inaugural edition, beating Fraser McKenna in a play-off after the duo had finished tied on one over par after 54 holes in testing conditions at the Perthshire venue.

“I played a bit of amateur golf with Kevin when I was younger,” added the 36-year-old. “He was a hell of a golfer himself and also a really decent guy. I saw him a lot off the course and he always spoke to me.

“I also played against his dad (Hamish, the former Dundee United goalkeeper) in team matches, so I also knew Hamish as well and it was an honour to win the first one, absolutely.”

Hamish presented Bremner with his trophy, but there was no instant celebration. Not when he had a club championship tie to play at Edzell a couple of hours later. And not when he was straight back to work before 8am on Wednesday morning.

“It was the club championship quarter-finals at Edzell last night and I had to go 20 holes before managing to get through in the end,” said Bremner. “I’ve won it seven times in the past and it’s been my home club since I was nine or ten. It’s a good club and they are very supportive when I’m playing in events.”

As for work, he owns a fencing and groundworks business and reported with a laugh: “It’s back to the graft today - I’m onsite as we speak!”

Bremner followed an opening 68 with rounds of 73-70, with McKenna, a reinstated amateur, matching his total after scores of 71-73-67, the latter including three birdies in the opening eight holes then an eagle at the 11th.

“I had a look at the leaderboard around the 16th hole and I saw that Fraser was ahead, so I really needed to finish 3-3,” said Bremner, who’d picked up birdies at the seventh and eighth to be out in 32 before dropping shots at the 12th, 14th and 15th.

“The par-3 17th was playing tough as it was, but I managed to make my 3 there and then I hit a decent shot at 18 to around 25 feet and rolled it in and then about the same on the first play-off hole. The putter turned hot at the right time after not holing much else until then, to be honest.”

Both this event and The Hutcheon, which is a match-play equivalent being held in honour of Scottish amateur legend Ian Hutcheon but not now taking place until next year, were organised by Connor Neil and Allyn Dick, two stalwarts of the amateur game in Scotland.

“For us working guys who don’t get to play in lots of events, these sort of tournaments are brilliant,” admitted Bremner, who reached the semi-finals in last year’s Scottish Amateur Championship at the Castle Course and is hoping for another good run in this year’s edition at Gullane. “It is hard to compete with a lot of the full-time guys if you are working and have kids.

Chance to win World Amateur Golf Ranking points hailed as ‘huge’

“Getting this sort of level of event back gives guys like myself something to strive for and the fact these events are offering World Amateur Golf Ranking points is huge.

“I’ll probably push more to play in events. Yes, the vouchers and trophy are nice, but, if you can get a decent WAGR standing, it gives you a chance to get into events like the St Andrews Links Trophy.

“All credit to Connor and Allyn as they ran a very good event and also to Ross Bell at Mizuno as he’s done a lot as well. I am sure it will get supported even better in the future and also The Hutcheon.”

Fifer Scott Crichton, who’d led by two shots after opening rounds of 70-69, had to settle for 11th spot after a closing 79, but it was a better last day for Broomieknowe’s Jamie McIntosh as he hit a hole-in-one at the seventh.