Scottish golf news: wins for Woodhouse, O'Hara and Stirling as Shotts gear up for MND golf day

Involving the players finishing in spots 17-32 in the stroke-play qualifying, Woodhouse opened the match-play phase by beating rising St Regulus star Carly McDonald, who’d given a good account of herself in the recent R&A Girls’ Under-16 Amateur.

She then defeated Craigielaw’s Carys Irvine before finishing the job off with wins over Paul Lawrie Golf Centre’s Ruby Watt, a winner on the Junior Tour Scotland at Forfar, and Foundations’ Trophy winner Evie McCallum of Dunfermline.

Woodhouse triumphed at the 19th against Watt in the semi-finals before coming out on top by one hole against McCallum in a keenly-contested title decider.

Stirling success for Tartan Tour chieftain Paul O’Hara

Paul O’Hara, a winner on the Asher Tour in California earlier in the year, is back topping leaderboards on the Arnold Clark PGA in Scotland Tartan Tour.

The circuit’s top player in recent years carded rounds of 68 and 66 - the latter contained an eagle and five birdies - to win the Order of Merit Challenge at Stirling with a ten-under-par total.

Chris Currie (Wilson Golf) and Scottish PGA champion Graeme Robertson (Grangemouth) shared second spot on nine under, two ahead of Craig Lee, Paul McKechnie and Gavin Hay.

After the season’s opening OOM Challenge at West Kilbride was reduced to just 18 holes due to bad weather, it took a monumental effort from James Lindsay, the course manager at Stirling, and his team to allow this one to be completed over two rounds.

Heather Stirling lands WPGA Series win in Ireland

Heather Stirling, the 2002 Scottish Women’s Amateur champion, chalked up a hat-trick of triumphs in the first WPGA Series event of the season.

A one-under-par 71 in torrential rain at Glasson in Ireland saw Stirling secure the main spoils in a field that included major winner Alison Nicholas after also landing the individual and team prizes in the pro-am.

“It feels great, I’m delighted,” said Stirling who signed for three birdies and a brace of bogeys to claim the £700 first prize. “It’s been a fantastic couple of days.”

This season’s WPGA Series also includes an event at Royal Troon, where Stirling won the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open in 2002 before adding her Scottish Women’s Amateur success at Stranraer later that year.

Home comfort for Matthew Anderson in West Stroke-Play

Douglas Park’s Matthew Anderson made home advantage count to record a resounding victory in the West of Scotland Stroke-Play Championship.

The scratch player carded a course record-equalling five-under-par 64 at the Bearsden venue to finish five shots clear of the field.

His closest challengers were clubmate Michael Giovanetti, Jack Clark (Dullatur), Angus Mckay (Clydebank & District), Angus Watson (Glasgow) and Conor Neil (Easter Moffat) as they all signed for 69s.

Douglas Park trio Anderson, Giovannetti and Alastair Thomson won the team title while the handicap honours went to Mckay.

Shotts gear up for MND Golf Day

Shotts Golf Club is gearing up to host an event to raise awareness and funds for Motor Neuron Disease (MND).

The event on Sunday, 9 June has been arranged after Mark Sommerville, the 42-year-old son of one of the club’s senior members, was diagnosed with the disease last October.

The Mark Sommerville Foundation was established in January and trustee Rebecca Sommerville said: “Our mission is not only to support ongoing research but also to provide assistance and solace to the families impacted by this challenging disease.

“Mark’s diagnosis shook us to the core, but his resilience and courage in the face of adversity continue to motivate us every day. By spreading the word about our foundation and golf day we can raise awareness and contribute to a cause that desperately needs our collective support.

“Together, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by MND and drive forward crucial research efforts.”

SDGC tees up Challenge Golf at Wellsgreen

In a groundbreaking move, the Scottish Disability Golf & Curling group recently introduced Challenge Golf to its events programme and has now organised over 250 days of golf for players with all types of disability.

“This innovative programme provides a fun and engaging way for disabled individuals to experience golf, aiming to transform perceptions and accessibility of the sport within the disabled community,” said SDGC founder Jim Gales.

“We deliberately focus on enjoyment rather than competitive play. Golf is more than just a game and, with our HUBS Golf, we’re bringing a joyful, inclusive experience to all participants.

“Our sessions are designed to be light-hearted and fun, ensuring that everyone, from newcomers to seasoned enthusiasts, can enjoy the spirit of the game.”

Through the SDGC HUB Programme, the charity has provided almost 5000 lessons with the assistance of PGA professionals all around Scotland, including the Isle Lewis and Harris.

Glenbervie tees up PING Scottish Open Series

Cawder’s Stuart Cuthbertson and Lynne Badger (Douglas Park) were the star performers in the season-opening PING Scottish Open Series event at Glenbervie.

Badger, a finalist in 2022 and the winner in 2023, carded a four-under-par 68 that included birdies at both the 16th and 18th to hold the clubhouse lead for much of the day.

But, in a field of 117 players, victory went to Cuthberson as he came in with a 67 late in the day, the top two both progressing to the Grand Final at Gleneagles later in the year along with Robbie Nicol after the Scottish Golf OpenPlay member matched Badger’s effort.

Scottish Golf CEO Robbie Clyde teed up in the event and, though finishing outside the top spots, he said: “I’ve never played here before and what a fantastic golf course Glenbervie is.”