After a 2-year break in play due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the EuroDov Cup finally saw shots hit in anger once more. The EuroDov Tour made its first trip south of the border in its eight-year history as the EuroDov Cup was relocated from Lisbon, Portugal, to Slaley Hall, Northumberland, due to ongoing restrictions relating to the pandemic.

The Hunting and Priestman courses were a worthy backdrop for the largest ever field to compete in the EuroDov Cup. Eight players took on the 54-hole challenge, including four rookies.

As to be expected with a British summer the weather would have a say on all three days of play. The amateur meteorologists amongst us kept a keen eye on the ever-present threat of lightening in the area, but with some good fortune it stayed clear of the course for the duration but did create a stunning backdrop over the rolling moors of Northumberland.

Day one the players took on the Hunting Course, the 6,800-yard course, meandered through mature pine forests and fantastic flower beds. Water featured throughout the course in the form of twisting brooks and challenging lakes, and it would make bother for many throughout. The Hunting Course required accuracy, strategy and good ball striking. The changes in elevation and often blind shots into greens challenged players’ eye and their trust in the yardages.

The opening holes were more ferocious than previous years as players settled into the more familiar greens. D. McColgan and D. Duncan in the opening group would card birdies to take a share of the lead after the first hole. Duncan would push on however and birdie holes two and three as well to be 3-under thru 3; McColgan could only manage pars. However, an eagle/birdie thru holes two and three would push A. Love up into the lead alongside Duncan at 3-under par.

Love would take the lead at the fourth as Duncan carded a double bogey on four and he would hold the lead till the 6th. A run of bogey-bogey-double bogey saw Love drop out the lead and D. McColgan retain the lead on Even par. Love would retain the lead on the seventh with a eagle that oved him to 1-under par. He would soon be joined by S. Allan who moved to 1-under thru 8 and would take the lead after nine holes at 2-under par.

Love would remain under par thru the thirteenth hole but would drop 11 shots over the last five holes to finish the day on 12-over par. D. McColgan made it to the turn 1-over par, but holes 11 thru 13 would cost him 7 shots, a birdie on the 14th followed by four pars would see him finish the day on 7-over par.
Duncan made it to the turn at 3-over par but his back nine would cost him nine shots and see him finish the day on 12 over.

Allan who made the turn at 2-under par was in control, a quadruple bogey on 12 hurt but still left him 6 shots in the lead. The last 7 holes on day one costs Allan 10 shots including a two-quadruple bogeys and a triple. He would finish the day 8-over par.

At the end of day one the leaderboard was D. McColgan +7; S. Allan +8, A. Love +10; D. Duncan +12; J. Robertson +16; D. Hutcheson +16; S. Green +17; W. McColgan +28.

Day to the players took on the more open and expansive Priestman Course; at 6,500-yards it did not have the claustrophobic feel of the tree-lined Hunting, but as the round progressed the deep and unforgiving rough focussed attentions and required accuracy from the tee to keep the ball in play.

Round two started off with D. McColgan retaining the lead through the first hole. However, the early exchanges in this round belonged to J. Robertson. Starting the day on 16-over par he raced down to 11-over through 5 holes. An opening salvo of five birdies lit the field on fire and no one could match that run on day two.

McColgan retained the lead through to the 7th hole, despite a three-putt bogey on the second hole. Duncan, inspired by Robertson, had began to chip away at his five-shot deficit with birdies at three and four and again at six. When McColgan bogeyed 6 and 7 Duncan found himself in a tie for the lead at 9 over.

A double bogey-bogey finish to the front nine saw Duncan drop out the lead but McColgan was joined by Allan after eight holes at 9-over par for the tournament. Both players would birdie the par 5 10th to move to 8-over and tie for the lead.

A back nine of 6 pars, 1 birdie and two bogeys would see McColgan finish day two at 10-over par. S. Allan would push on to take the lead with a birdie at 12 and 13 to put him on 6-over par, however a bogey on 14 and a double on 17 and bogey on 18 would leave him tied with McColgan at 10-over par at the end of the day.

D. Duncan’s moving day charge seemed to have fizzled out at the turn as he sat on 13-over, however 4 birdies on his back nine, including one at 18 saw him get to the club house alongside McColgan and Allan at 10-over par.

Robertson couldn’t sustain his 5 birdie start and by the turn was 2-over for his round and 18-over for the tournament. Hutcheson endured a tough start to the second round but a string of 7 pars in the middle of his round steadied the ship.

The biggest mover on day two was A. Love, starting the day on 10-over par and three off the lead he would card a 21-over par to finish the day at 31 -over for the tournament.

The leaderboard after day two was; D. McColgan +10; S. Allan +10; D. Duncan +10; J. Robertson +23; A. Love +31; S. Green +36; D. Hutcheson +37; W. McColgan +44.

Duncan’s 2-under par score on day two was a fantastic round of golf, built off the back of strong driving and wedge play and he was undoubtedly the biggest winner on moving day having put himself in pole position for the final day.

The first 36 holes of the tournament were played out on courses that the players were unfamiliar with and had to tease their way around. Day three however saw the players take to the Priestman course fresh with yesterday’s memories, a chance to correct some errors, and take advantage of some course knowledge.
Out in group one was A. Love, S. Green, D. Hutcheson, and W. McColgan. Love was chasing down Robertson who was eight shots in front and only six shots separated 5th to 7th place. The players were ready to go.

Off the first tee however Love and Green found the deep rough, but McColgan and Hutcheson dispatched their drives straight down the middle. Through the first nine-holes things remained tight and Love made gains on Robertson.

Love starting the day on 31-over made it to the turn in just 1-over par with four pars and 2 birdies helping him along the way. Robertson however couldn’t replicate his five birdie start on Saturday and slipped to 30-over at the turn. Only two shots separated Robertson and Love in the battle for fourth. Green struggled through the front nine, carding four bogeys and two birdies alongside three pars to reach the turn at 43-over for the tournament.

Hutcheson and McColgan had both slipped back through the first 8 holes and were tied on 51-over when heavy weather moved. Play was slowed for 10-15 minutes as the heavens opened over the course. Hutcheson and W. McColgan withdrew from the tournament at this stage.

After play resumed Love continued his assault on fourth place. By the 16th hole Love and Robertson were tied on 39-over but the surprise was the comeback from Green. After a birdie on the 9th hole green would go on to birdie 11, 12, 13 and 14 to be two shots off Love and Robertson.

However, all players would go on to drop shots in equal measure to finish the day as they started, albeit bunched closer than at the start of the day. Green’s 12-over par round was good enough for third place in the round but saw him finish the tournament on 48-over, Love finished 45 over and Robertson 43 over.

The leading group set-off with D. McColgan, S. Allan and D. Duncan all level on 10-over par. It was a three-way match play situation, emerge from the group and lift the cup. The storyline was poised for an exciting last day. Could Duncan repeat his 2-under par performance from Round two? Could Allan continue to claw back shots on McColgan to lift it himself? Or would McColgan be our first wire-to-wire winner in the EuroDov Cup?

No sooner were the players off the first tee and the story began to unfold. McColgan opted for his 4-iron which he had used to great effect on Saturday and found the middle of the fairway, Allan’s drive was wayward to the left and found the deep grass, and Duncan despatched a rocket of a drive right up the middle of the fairway. By the end of the hole, Duncan would be one in front on 9-over par thanks to a birdie to McColgan’s par and Allan’s bogey. All three would card birdies on the second but a birdie from Allan and bogey from Duncan to McColgan’s par would find all three players back at 10-over thru 3.

On to the Par 5 fourth hole. McColgan sent his four iron down the centre of the fairway, Allan, still unable to get his driver going pulled it left and out of bounds and Duncan pushed his drive to the right and into the long grass. Both Allan and Duncan would take penalty shots, Allan recording a bogey and Duncan a quadruple bogey.

McColgan opened his round with five straight pars to lead through 5 holes, Allan two behind and Duncan four.

Back-to-back bogey’s for McColgan on 6 and 7 saw him drop to12-over and share the lead with Allan with Duncan only 2 behind still.

McColgan dispatched an excellent 2 iron – 5iron – 50-degree wedge to the par 5 8th and cleaned up for Par. Allan struggled down for a bogey and Duncan would take a triple bogey that saw McColgan regain the lead.

An excellent birdie from Allan on 9 however saw him jump back to co-leader and the players were bunched going into the back nine.

Allan’s driving woes continued on 10 as he fired two drives way left, fortunately finding his provisional. He would struggle home for a triple bogey and move to +15 over. Duncan regained his composure and plotted his way through the par 5 to get to within one of Allan on 16-over and McColgan’s 2 iron – 5 iron – 50-degree wedge combination was enough for par and a three-shot lead.

McColgan would par holes 10 thru 15 in a period of golf that saw Allan move to 17-over and Duncan 20-over. With three holes to go McColgan held a 5 shot lead.

The par 5 16th was long, and into a driving wind in Round 3. Allan found the water off the tee and Duncan found the trees. McColgan opted for a 5 iron and found himself way short of his position on round 2. All three players limped home McColgan and Allan with a bogey and Duncan with a quadruple. As the players stood on the 17th tee it seemed McColgan’s victory was all but assured.

However, after a thunderous drive down 17 Allan would birdie the hole, and after a wayward approach found the greenside bunker McColgan struggled down for a double bogey leaving two shots separating the pair.

The 18th hole is a 393-yard par 4 with a large lake protection the left half of the green. Allan sent a carbon copy of his tee shot on 17th right down the middle leaving a little over 100 yards into the green. McColgan, 4-iron in hand sent his drive down the middle with 189 yards to the pin. Playing first McColgan sent a 6-iron to 15 feet behind the pin, in a shot that never left the line of the target from the moment it left the club. Allan’s wedge found the centre of the green, but he would four-putt home for a final score of 18-over. McColgan cleaned up for his fourteenth par of the round and a final score of 15-over par.

The final standings were; McColgan +15; S. Allan +18; D. Duncan +26; J. Robertson +43; A. Love +45; S. Green +48; D. Hutcheson W/D; W. McColgan W/D.

D. McColgan lifted his second EuroDov Cup in the first wire-to-wire victory for the tournament. Many commentators had McColgan as favourite. EuroDov Reporter had him listed as the 2/1F to win around the Slaley Hall set-up and will be happy that his prediction came in.

Whilst the set-up at Slaley Hall was long and challenging it undoubtedly required first class ball striking and an ability to pick your way around the course. Neither course was set-up to be over-powered, they didn’t award length over placement and in the end McColgan’s ability to see a path through the 54 holes coupled with a masterclass in ball-striking and approach play saw him lift the first major of the EuroDov Tour season.