Scottish Walker Cup golfer Stuart Wilson became British amateur champion at St Andrews today and with it earned a place in next month's Open at Royal Troon and next April's US Masters at Augusta. The 26-year-old from Forfar, a member of the side which achieved an unprecedented fourth successive victory over the Americans at Ganton last September, beat England international Lee Corfield four and three in today's 36-hole final.
But it was a match which Corfield lost every bit as much as Wilson won. He three-putted four of the first five greens, did it twice more in falling three down by lunch and then had yet another three putts at the 25th, missing from little more than two feet there, to go back to three behind.
It was little wonder he bashed the ball off the green rather than picking it up as the 21-year-old from Somerset was by far the longer hitter of the two and took no advantage of it whatsoever.
Wilson lost the final of the Scottish Amateur last year and said: "I was up at lunchtime then and let it slip. I was desperate to hold it together this time. On a personal level this is as big as it gets. I thought this might be my year because I know the course so well."
If ever there was an example of one head seeming to be better than two this was it. Corfield and his caddie conferred over every putt, whereas Wilson relied on his own judgement. "That was hell," Corfield said today. "I'm generally confident on the greens and it let me down. I don't know why."
Over two rounds the opening hole is not normally a telling factor, but it was on this occasion with Corfield sending his 25-foot birdie attempt five feet past and missing the return. He did the same at the third, lost the 464-yard fourth even though he was on in two and allowed Wilson to get away with a half on the next by three-putting once more. The 314-yard 12th saw the story repeated. Corfield drove the green, but lost it after Wilson had pitched to eight feet and holed it for birdie.
Even when his opponent found the Road Bunker at the 17th he could not capitalise, three more putts meaning a half in bogey five, and even though he made a seven-footer to share the 18th in birdie threes he went straight to the practice putting green.
The pair had been given a hurry-up by the match referee during the morning and it was only 30 minutes before they teed off again. Wilson had to take a penalty drop from a gorse bush on the 20th and after Corfield bogeyed the 22nd he three-putted the next for a bogey six to be back to only two-up.
Just when he needed to apply more pressure, however, Corfield had that crushing bogey on the 25th and then saw Wilson birdie two of the next three. Five ahead with seven to play, Wilson drove into a bush and lost the 12th, but he was let off the hook again two holes later, Corfield missing from under three
feet. A half in par at the next saw Wilson score a memorable victory.
Filed by Shane Murray
