What would you rather do? Spend a spring break kicking back in the sunshine state of Florida or get yourself well-happit up in a variety of layers and batter away at Murcar Links in the Scottish Boys Championship?
Why, it would have to be a trip to the shimmering, cloud-soaked Granite City of course. “I didn’t realise Aberdeen was this far north,” confessed Calum Ross, after marking his debut in the under-18s showpiece with a 7&5 win over John McGowan of Shotts.
We can perhaps forgive his geographical guddlings. Born in Hong Kong, brought up in Chicago and now living in Atlanta, Ross’s American accent masks his strong Scottish roots. His dad, Bob, hails from Glasgow and played in the Scottish Boys Championship at North Berwick back in 1975. “I did not do well,” said faither with a wry grin.
His son fared much better and acclimatised extremely quickly as he raced into a five-hole lead at the turn against McGowan on his way to a purposeful triumph. While his mother and younger brother are absorbing the rays in Ponte Vedra, Ross and dad are on a Scottish golfing adventure. “Links golf is a bit different to what I’m used to back in the States but I hit it low anyway so that helps,” noted Ross, who first broke 70 for a round just before his 11th birthday. “And with the rain, I can still get the ball to stop on the greens.”
At 15-years-old, Ross is almost a veteran in comparison to Nairn 12-year-old Calum Scott, the younger sibling of No 1 seed Sandy. On his first Scottish Boys appearance, Scott enjoyed an opening round win as he edged out Blairgowrie’s Campbell Gibson by a 2&1 margin. “I used to do curling, football and tennis but I was too busy doing them all, so I’ve focussed on golf and squash now,” said the multi-talented Scott.
It was a good day for the Scott clan as Sandy enjoyed a 6&5 win in his second round encounter with Kyle Harker from Aboyne.
In the day’s remaining first round ties, Rory Franssen, the No 2 seed, eased to a 4&2 win over Ewan Milligan, the son of former Walker Cup winner Jim. Franssen’s last matchplay tie was a first round defeat in February's South African Amateur Championship, which came just a day after he had won the strokeplay qualifier. “That was a bit of a nightmare,” he reflected.
Biggest win of the event so far came from East Renfrewshire’s Tom MacKenzie, who doled out a 9&8 thumping to Michael Walker as he set up a third round tie with Michael Lawrie, son of the former Open champion Paul.
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