Scotland’s Finlay Galloway came out on top in a stunning final day of the Scottish Boys’ Under 16 Open Championship, beating England’s Daniel Hayes on the first playoff hole.
In sunny but windy conditions at Bishopbriggs Golf Club, the standard of golf on show was outstanding. To make the playoff, Hayes shot the low round of the tournament, a six-under par 65 which included five birdies and an eagle.
Having been in a tie for the lead overnight, Galloway also posted a solid round of two-under par, despite having two double bogeys on the card at the first and fourteenth. He carded seven birdies, including four in the space of five holes from the eleventh.
There were fourteen under-par rounds from the field on the final day, but it was Hayes and Galloway who finished top of the leaderboard with nobody else able to reach their five-under total.
As the players headed into the back nine, it was Galloway who held the lead on three-under. However, it was around the same time that Hayes put together an incredible stretch of holes where he made four birdies and an eagle in five holes to get to four-under.
Galloway made three birdies in a row of his own from the eleventh to get to six-under, but a double bogey on fourteen saw him drop into a tie with Hayes.
Both players would birdie the fifteenth before closing with three pars to finish tied at the top.
The players headed back down the tough first hole for the playoff, with a par being enough to seal the victory for Galloway after Hayes lipped out to match him.
Speaking to Scottish Golf, a delighted Galloway said, ‘I’m feeling a bit speechless, I’m just lost for words as to what has happened this week. I came here with the goal of just making the cut, but I wasn’t really expecting to win and here I am with the trophy.
‘I’ve never really been in this position before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I got off to a bit of a rocky start but steadied myself up a bit. I played the back nine well with one or two mistakes, but I wasn’t really too nervous.
‘I was just shooting for pars, taking birdies when they came. Obviously, you’re going to make mistakes and you just have to take that.
‘This means so much to me. To win a Scottish tournament, I don’t really know how to describe it. This has been my first time at Bishopbriggs and it was such a nice course, we couldn’t have asked for it to be in any better condition than it was.’
Runner-up Hayes also told Scottish Golf, ‘It was a good day, I went out there and holed putts to shoot low to be in with a chance. In the playoff I just mis-clubbed it, but it is what it is. I played well so I can go out with my head held high.’
A full list of scores from the Scottish Boys’ Under 16 Open Championship can be found here.
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