SCOTTISH SENIORS MATCH-PLAY
Scotland internationalist Kenny Gallacher made it a double celebration when he won the Scottish Seniors Match-play Championship at Strathmore, guaranteeing him top slot in the national Order of Merit table.
The East Kilbride stalwart defeated three-times champion John Mathers in a final in which both players had to battle heavy rain and wind as well as each other.
The match came to an end at the 15th hole, securing a 4&3 victory for Gallacher after he had chipped in at the long, difficult 14th for a birdie three. The result denied Mathers a fourth successive match-play title, but he was magnanimous in defeat.
‘I am disappointed to have fallen at the final hurdle, but in Kenny I lost to the best player of this year,’ he said.
Gallacher, who was first capped for Scotland in 2018, said: ‘Last year after my performance at the British Seniors I was so fed up with my game I seriously thought about chucking competitive golf. I stopped practising and just started playing for fun. And then things started to turn around. I was enjoying my golf again and thankfully the results followed.
‘John is a great champion, having won this trophy for the last three years. This win, and being back in the Scottish team, tops off a very satisfying season for me.’
In the semi-finals, Mathers took on new Scotland cap Graham Bell who, in the quarter-finals, beat reigning Order of Merit champion Paul Moultrie. Mathers, aiming for his fourth successive match-play championship, came through 2&1.
The second semi-final went all the way to the fourth extra hole before Gallacher and two-times match-play champion Stewart Henderson could be separated, with Gallacher holing a bunker shot to progress to the final.
In the other quarter-finals, Henderson beat Stirling’s Phil Hendry while Scotland team player David Thomson and Gallacher had to go to the 19th before the latter clinched the tie with a birdie.
Last year’s Super Seniors handicap champion Lindsay Gordon contested the scratch final against Inverness’s Laurie Chancellor. Again, the match had to go to extra time before Gordon claimed the title at the 19th for a spectacular double.
The Super Seniors handicap final was between Kilmacolm’s Neil McGarva (9) and Ian Jeen (3), New Club St Andrews, with McGarva emerging victorious with a 3&1 win.
The finalists, as well as the Super Seniors contending for third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth places, had to battle heavy rain and gusting winds as Storm Amy made her presence felt.
The championship trophies were presented by Society Chairman Alan Michie who thanked competitors and all at Strathmore Golf Centre for hosting the championship for the second consecutive year.
Accepting the Super Seniors scratch trophy, Lindsay Gordon paid special thanks to competitions secretary Ian Kerr for all his hard work during the championship as well as throughout the year.
Gallacher’s victory means he tops this year’s Order of Merit table for players aged 50 to 64. Laurie Chancellor is crowned Super Seniors’ Order of Merit champion. Congratulations to both for magnificent performances throughout the season.
The Society is grateful to all at Strathmore Golf Centre for hosting the championships and for their excellent hospitality. Special thanks, also, to the green-staff for presenting the course in top-class condition despite some challenging weather conditions.
ORDER OF MERIT WINNERS 2025
Going into the final event of the year, Graham Bell (Bathgate) was leading the race, but his defeat in the semi-finals at Strathmore by defending match-play champion, John Mathers (Haggs Castle) left the door slightly ajar for Ken to take advantage, but only if he could defeat John in the final. The final was played in terrible weather courtesy of Storm Amy, but Ken capped of an excellent year by holding his nerve to win by a margin of 4&3.
Graham had an excellent first year in the seniors and only missed out on top slot by 40 points. He did have the consolation however of winning the Handicap Order of Merit for 2025 by an even slimmer margin of 13 points from Ken Milligan (Kingsfield Golf Centre).
In the Super Seniors Order of Merits, Laurie Chancellor (Inverness) was a clear winner of the scratch OOM with a total of 1595 points, some 3685 points ahead of David Imrie (Lundin) who finished in 2nd place.
In the Handicap OOM Colin Halcrow (Largs) was the winner on 830 points, 35 points ahead of David Imrie (Lundin) in second place.
Congratulations to the winners and to all players who competed throughout the year.