From the Locker Room

In 2024 5 players registered for the first ever Q-School and competed over 6 events in total. A total of 2 players would qualify from Q-School into the Order of Merit in 2025.

It was an incredibly close-run event with qualification and the winner coming down to the last event of the year. Following the completion of the 6th round of Q-School Scott Gowens won the event by just 100 points qualifying for the Order of Merit in 2025.

We sat down with Gowens Jnr. to hear his thoughts on his first full season on the EuroDov Tour and what winning Q-School meant for him.

Back in 2023 the EuroDov Tour top brass unveiled a new event for this year. It was billed as filling a gap in the competition offering and bringing a new dimension to the Tour.

That event – The Matchplay – had 16 entrants this year, with all the top players throwing their hats in the ring for the chance to be the first name on the Matchplay salver.

After 14 matches (one semi-final was forfeited) it all came down to the 18th hole in the Final with number 1 ranked David McColgan playing number 6 ranked Paul Gowens. But when the final putt finished inches short and McColgan conceded the match with a handshake Paul Gowens stood atop of the 15 players who had fallen below him to claim the inaugural Matchplay tournament.

As reports rage on about some handbags between, the two captains at Tour HQ we’re taking the opportunity to sit down with them and hear how their preparations are going ahead of the 10th playing of the RyDov Cup.

The challenging Captain, Paul Gowens, makes his 3rd appearance since featuring in the founding event in 2022.

Following the team selection change in 2024, Gowens takes charge of the newcomer team. His credentials to do so are unparalleled with rookie of the year win in 2022 alongside his 7 Tour wins to date.

We sat down with Paul to hear his thoughts on the 10th match and challenging for the RyDov Cup for the first time.

As reports rage on about some handbags between, the two captains at Tour HQ we’re taking the opportunity to sit down with them and hear how their preparations are going ahead of the 10th playing of the RyDov Cup.

The defending Captain Andy Love make his 8th appearance since featuring in the founding event in 2013. In 2023 he captained a team for the first time and led them to a 14-10 win over defending captain Kevin Brannan.

We sat down with Andy to hear his thoughts on the 10th match and defending the RyDov Cup for the first time.

The King’s Cup has always been a tightly fought event with some really low scoring, and 2024 was at least one of those.

As the players gathered back from the summer break, they were left in the dust by Stevie Orr who shot out the blocks to card a 5-under 62, finishing 5 whole shots ahead of the nearest player.

Whilst the players dusted themselves down, we sat down with three of them to get their views on the King’s Cup and the upcoming sprint to the end of the year.

With 4 events already in the bag the players arrived at Canmore Golf Club for the King’s Cup. The event is one of the few on the Order of Merit rota that doesn’t boast a multiple winner throughout its history and the short but firm course always creates an exciting tournament.

The excitement was strangled out of the competition in 2024 however as Stephen Orr took the course apart and left the field in his wake shooting a 5-under par 62.

We sat down with Orr, who now has two Order of Merit wins to his name following his Kinghorn Classic win in 2023, to get his reaction to the result.

4 years on and 42 miles west of the original Anstruther Medal the EuroDov Tour team arrived at Saline Golf Club to signal the end of the summer break.

Traditionally the Tour shuts down for most of June to allow the players to fulfil off-Tour commitments and the Anstruther Medal marks a fun return to competition for the field.

In the end a very unlikely pair – although maybe pre-destined pair is more appropriate – were left holding the trophy at the end of play. Kieran Lynch and Stuart Anderson had competed in 2 previous Anstruther Medals, finishing last in each of them, but in 2024, and in Lynch’s last appearance in a EuroDov Tour event, they romped to win it all.

2024 was the third year of the Inchkeith Cup – normally played over Kinghorn, Aberdour and Burntisland, it had a slightly different rota than usual due to the relocation of the MCM.

So, in 2024 the Kinghorn Classic, MCM @ Pitffirane and Dodhead Invitational made up the events that counted towards the trophy.

To qualify for the event players must card at least 2 rounds of the three designated events with the best two scores to par contributing to the competition.

The sun was shining – the wind making enough of an appearance to matter – and the course in fine condition.

The Dodhead Invitational is always an exciting event, over the years it’s been tightly contested and with some very impressive scores – and 2024 was no disappointment. There were a whole host of leaders in the early stages until Stuart Allan rose above the pack and ran off to an unassailable lead that saw him finish the round just 2 shots off the tournament record.

We caught up with some of the players post round to get their thoughts on the proceedings today.

As always at the Dodhead Invitational the field shot out the traps with a raft of birdies and better in the opening holes but by the latter stages it was clear that the winner was another level from the rest of the field.

Stuart Allan was slated as second favourite going into the event at 6/1 with EuroDov saying, “Allan did not have a good time out at Pitffirane, and with it being his home course there was a huge amount of disappointment.

But look at it this way, he’s still a great talent on Tour, and he’s got happy memories at the Dodhead, if he rekindles his 2021 form round here, no one is catching him.”

And that’s exactly what happened! He didn’t quite reach the 6-under round of 2021 but at 4-under there wasn’t anyone even close to him with David McColgan saying after the round, “I was the best of the rest, but none of us were playing the same game as Stuart out there today, it wasn’t even a contest.”

As we settled into the warm confines of the locker room at Cowdenbeath Dora golf club we watched the players coming off the course as their matches finished.

There’s a real sense of a clash of cultures in the Carnegie Cup with the established EuroDov Tour team dressed in their traditional grey trousers and navy tops and the SanWedge Tour taking over the clubhouse in their loud shirts and machismo.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve come to know a few of the SanWedge Tour players better as they make their first steps on the EuroDov Tour, and one player we’ve met more than most was their 2024 Captain, Richard Mair.

Mair’s lifted three events on the EuroDov Tour and came within 1 hole of winning a Major this year, so sitting down with him reflecting on what might have been seemed a bit raw and a bit too soon.

The Carnegie Cup is always a fun break from the EuroDov Tour coverage, a moment to put aside personal glory and rivalry on Tour and come together for unified glory.

As the rain thumped down across the course, it was great to see the unity in the EuroDov Tour team as they lifted the Cup for the second year in a row.

It was a team effort out there from scoring points, to supporting team mates as the rain soaked to the skin – a real collective endeavour to get the job done.

We’ve sat done with Kevin Brannan at the end of all his greatest moments on Tour but there was a real sense this one was different.

As the dust settles - or everyone dries out may be more appropriate - from the 2024 Carnegie Cup the EuroDov Tour have announced Andy Love as the 2025 EuroDov Tour Captain for the Carnegie Cup.

We caught up with him to get his thoughts ahead of the 2025 event and to learn about the new selection criteria that is sure to make up coming events that little bit more exciting.

The tournament has been held at Mearns Castle Academy (2021), Aberdour GC (2022-23) and relocated in 2024 to Dunfermline Golf Club, a mature parkland course that was set-up beautifully to challenge the field.

As we’ve become accustomed to, the tournament was a thrill ride till the very last hole where David McColgan, uncharacteristically, threw away a 1-shot lead from 240 yards in the idle of the fairway. As McColgan’s round crumbled, Richard Mair had already carded a wonderful 1-under par round and was sitting in the clubhouse watching events unfold.

We caught up with the field to hear their thoughts on the day and the season so far.

It was a new venue for the Tour, but a familiar winner at the MCM @ Pitffirane.

The Course, presented beautifully, was the perfect canvass for the drama that was about to play out over the 18 holes. With a number of different leaders throughout the day it came down to final hole drama as David McColgan, 2-time Major winner this year already, squandered a 1 shot lead to lose on a countback.

And the phrase “lose on a countback” can only denote one winner, Richard Mair. Mair lifted his 3 OoM event in 2 years winning all of them on a countback – but don’t worry we’re not talking about any asterisks here!

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Mair and getting his reactions to today’s event.

t’s always a great day at Tulliallan Golf Club, the course is fun and challenging, and the golf is always of the highest calibre.

The FTLR boys were out in full watching the golf and we were treated to one of the most nail-biting finishes but having the privilege of seeing Mair’s 18th hole we knew as the final group came up the 18th that McColgan’s story line would be the one we’re talking about. EuroDov Reporter gave him an 11% chance of this moment at the start of the season and now we get the privilege to sit down and chat with the EuroDov Tour’s first ever multiple Grand slam winner.

What a finish it was to the 2024 Kinghorn Classic. Those final two holes never fail to throw-up excitement year in year out.

We had 3 players in the hunt over the final three holes and one by one Peck, then McColgan, dropped away as Stuart Sutherland come shooting through like an exocet missile to claim the win.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with him to chat through the second win and what it means for the season ahead.

We’ve just about gathered ourselves after the hurricane conditions at St Andrews, and good news for the environment the whole team left the 2004 diesel pollution monster in the car park and flew home on a giant kite!

Thankfully we were just going down the Fife coast to Kinghorn is usually a shoe in for windiest event of the season, but I am not sure anything is beating the St Andrews Open this year.

We caught up with the field after the event and it was pleasant to not have to scream our answers into the gale this year-round.

Let’s hear what they had to say after the Kinghorn Classic and Stuart Sutherland’s superb back to back win.
The 2024 Kinghorn Classic is in the can - how did you enjoy it?

We’ve just about regained the ability to hear one another and also turned down the decibels when screaming across the fairway.

I saw one man walking his dog with a bag of rocks tied to the leash just in case the poor thing blew away.

It was quite the welcome back to competition and the players who endured the 14 holes – because let’s face it, you’re not enjoying that – were probably glad it was just 14 holes.

We caught up the field to get their thoughts on the day and the final results.

So, let’s get to it.

As our mums would say it was a good to dry your washing in St Andrews…and not a good day to sport your new fancy golf cart and bag, which evidently was designed for 40 mph gale force winds on the links of St Andrews.

Watching the players head out on to the first tee was like a Ridley Scott epic as valiant warriors head off to war knowing they all won’t come back.

But after all was said and done, trolleys righted time and time again, it was a new face standing in the winner’s circle. At his 17th time of asking Stuart Sutherland, a founding member of the Tour, one of only 2 players to play every Ryder Cup, and an original member of the Order of Merit field was the winner, and we had the pleasure of catching up with him.

Just as EuroDov Reporter has been beavering away over their stats books, crunching the numbers and getting all excited about odds and predictions the From the Locker Room team have been tearing up locker rooms, clubhouses and fairways in search of players to interview.

There’s only so much one can do to entertain themselves in the musty locker rooms across the country in the winter. Dodging old guys in waterproofs, playing golf in hurricane force winds and driving snow – all for the fun of it!

So let’s get straight down to it, it’s been a long hard winter but we are on the cusp of the season how does it feel?

We’ve unpacked the suitcases, spent a night in our own bed and are now ready to file our copy after the opening of the 2024 season at the third Open de Cascais, and the EuroDov Cup.

It was a great event with so many storylines and battles all over the leaderboard coming down the stretch. In the end it all came down to the final putt of the tournament, a make or break putt that would have seen a first time Major winner had it missed, and an 11 time Major winner if it dropped.

Thankfully for McColgan the putt hit dead centre of the cup and he had his hands on the EuroDov Cup once more.

We’re just over a week away from the first shot of the 2024 season and the excitement is building in the From the Locker Room team.

We’ve got our sunscreen packed, our in-flight playlist ready, and we are excited to take to the course in Cascais, Portugal. However, in all the excitement of the EuroDov Cup there is also a lot of chatter about the stories of 2024.

So, the Team has sat down and collated the big stories of the 2024 season, and how we think they’ll pan out, so let’s get started

McColgan’s year wasn’t laden with silverware like 2022 and didn’t have the shine of something new like 2021 but what it had was a metronomic consistency of a reliable time piece, constantly ticking over event and after event.

His performances were surpassed by some but like Icarus, McColgan watched them fly too close to the sun, burn out, and watched them fall again all the while he maintained the perfect altitude that delivered him the James Braid Quaich.

In a season that saw “the enjoyment” taken out the game for him, it’s undeniable that McColgan’s positivity for the competition and the field is still strong. The OoM will be back in 2024 and we hope he’ll be there too but for now we leave you with your 2023 EuroDov Tour Champion Golfer of the Year, David McColgan

With the end of the Tour Champs, comes the end of the Order of Merit season. The From the Locker Room team has been around the country getting reacquainted with the returning players and meeting the new players on the Order of Merit.

It’s been an incredible season with 6 winners from 7 events, 4 of them first time winners on the OoM, but when was all said and done it was a familiar face who lifted the James Braid Quaich, David McColgan.

After the dust had settled, we caught up with some of the protagonists of the 2023 season to get their throughs, so let’s head on over and get the players’ reactions on the season that was.

We entered the Tour Championships with 5 winners over 6 events, a battle for the James Braid Quaich and a battle for survival and we walked away with a very worthy winner.

Craigielaw did not hold back, a firm and fast course, with fierce rough and a strong wind, battered the field in the morning but calmer conditions prevailed in the afternoon and as the sun set over Craigielaw and the Order of Merit season, Stuart Allan had his hands on silverware again at the 24th time of asking. We sat down with Allan immediately after the Tour Champs to get his perspective.

The From the Locker Room team have been getting themselves hyped up for the end of the season, it’s a busy time with 3 major events in the space of two weeks, but plenty of locker rooms to be mooching around in for news, insight and analysis.

First stop on the road was Lochgelly golf club for the 2023 Forrester-Lochgelly Open, there was a field of 15 scrapping over a series of mini-battles from OoM survival to wining the James Braid Quaich and of course the small matter of picking up the Forrester-Lochgelly Open along the way.

We caught up with some of the runners and riders to get their thoughts on everything today so let’s head over to the team now.

It’s always an exciting time of the year, but one that is also tinged with a bit sadness, as the Order of Merit regular season comes to a close. The From the Locker Room Team put their bravest faces on as they were out and about at the Forrester-Lochgelly Open.

First played for in 2021 at Forrester Park Golf Resort, the Open moved to its current home, Lochgelly, in 2022. The event has a history of close finishes with the first ever winner Denis Duncan winning in a three-way countback, and in 2022, David McColgan winning by a stroke with a par on the last hole.

And 2023 was no exception, Richard Mair, the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year accolade, lipped out for the outright win, only to find out he had won on countback when he got to the clubhouse.

As the RyDov Cup looms ever closer on the horizon the eyes of the EuroDov Tour come to rest on two individuals. These players stand above all others and carry the hopes and dreams of their 11 players in the quest to lift the RyDov Cup.

The 2023 Captains boast 4 majors between them and 2 regular season events amongst them, their Tour pedigree stretches back to the founding of the Tour and in 2023 they come head-to-head for the first time as Captains but also in the morning singles matchplay.

They are of course Andy Love and Kevin Brannan. The From the Locker Room Team sat down with them to catch-up on all things RyDov Cup, Captaincy, and their thoughts ahead of the big dance.

Today was all about Canmore and the King’s Cup. It’s a fantastic event that always requires low scoring to win. Expectation was for a soft and forgiving course, but the players were met with a firm and fiery course buffeted with a changeable wind all day – all the hallmarks of a classic.

It looked like it’d be a birdie fest from the off, but as players found their way to more exposed parts of the course, the scores began to slide back to level par and, in the end, only 3 players carded par or better on the day.

It was a tense clubhouse wait for the leader Stuart Allan, and in the end an 18th hole and putt that would test the mettle of anyone on Tour, saw the win go to Barry Cunningham, his first 18 hole victory since the 2013 Montgomery Cup.