Golf: Blairgowrie boys cap off successful season with European championships

Nov 15 2012 by Katy Gordon, Blairgowrie Advertiser

Three members of Blairgowrie Golf Club can boast a very successful year, capped off with a European competition.

The trio - Stuart Graham, Glenn Campbell and Bradley Neil - recently took part in the European Club Championships, held in Cyprus, finishing in fifth place and the highest of the British entrant.

They were pipped by winners France, runners-up Germany, Switzerland and Spain.

The Blair players are all low handicappers, with Stuart off plus 2 and Scottish internationals Glenn and Bradley off plus 3 and plus 4.

They finished ahead of the other Home Nations clubs and beat the defending champions from France in a 25-strong field.

Stuart said: “The French won it last year so they had two teams in the competition.

“Like the Germans they load the teams with guys who have their eyes on pro careers, rather than send teams from individual clubs.

“Two of the winners are at stage two of Q School for the Tour. The standard of golf was impressive.

“It was a great experience and we were well looked after over the week. It was good finishing the top of the British clubs and I think it is the highest ever placing by a Scots side.”

The Perthshire team qualified for Cyprus after winning the local competition at Auchterarder and running away with the Scottish title at Arbroath.

Other achievements for the three men this year included Stuart, a former golf pro at Dunbar, winning the Blairgowrie Golf Club Championship for the fifth time and was crowned Perth and Kinross Champion of Champions for the fourth time.

Glenn, whose day job is as head greenkeeper at the North Inch Golf Club, was the winner of the Perth and Kinross Strokeplay and came runner up in the Perth and Kinross Matchplay.

Bradley Neil joined one of a historical handful of players from Perth and Kinross who has represented Great Britain and Ireland, when he played at under 18 level against Europe. He also captained Scotland at under 16 and 18 level this year.

Other achievements this year is, I won the Blairgowrie Club Championship for the 5th time, won the Perth & Kinross Champion of Champions this year for the 4th time, Glenn won the P&K Strokeplay and was runner up in the P & K Matchplay, he is an ex Scottish Amateur Y and Scottish Internationalist, Bradley was only the second player (that I know of) from Perth and Kinross, who has represented Great Britain and Ireland U18 against Europe, he also has captained and represented Scotland at U16 and U18 level this year.