Craigiehill’s Daniel Young has now set his sights on Walker Cup selection later this year after coming from eight shots behind to capture the 2015 Battle Trophy at Crail.

Young, who is also the reigning South African Amateur champion, shot a final round five under par 67 in bright but windy conditions to win by a shot with a nine under par 279 total on the Craighhead Links course.

Shining moment for Daniel Young and the 2015 Battle Trophy winner. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Young’s good friend Connor Syme, who had led the event for three rounds, posted a disappointing 76.while current British Amateur titleholder Bradley Neil posted a 72 for both to share second place on eight under par.

“I am very pleased with my final round as I made a lot of birdies and that’s what I said to myself going out in the fourth round,” said Young.

“I thought if I could do that it might put a little bit of pressure on the guys behind me.

“I noticed that Connor had struggled in the third round and his score did open the door a little bit but again he was still eight shots ahead of me with a round to play.

“So I had to go out and post a really good score. My target was 10-under par and I thought if I could get to 10-under par that might be good enough”.

The 23-year old Young was competing in the event for a second straight occasion and had fond memories of a year ago in setting a then new course record of an eight under par 64 on the last day before being overhauled by Kilmarnock Brassie’s Jack McDonald who lowered the mark with a 63.

Young arrived at Crail Golfing Society not only on the back of his stunning success in being handed the South African Amateur trophy in Johannesburg but was runner-up in the recent SGU Scottish Champion of Champions at Leven and shared eighth place in last week’s Craigmillar Park Open Championship.

His next event will be next fortnight’s Lytham Trophy and co-incidentally the 2015 Walker Cup is to be staged later this year on the same course.

And it’s qualifying automatically for the GB & I Walker Cup team that is now very much on Young’s golfing horizon.

“I’m not in the Walker Cup squad but after this Battle Trophy win and some good results in recent weeks it’s getting more and more that way.

“It was something in the back of my mind but then I knew I needed to keep winning and I’ve taken another big step this week here at Crail in capturing the Battle Trophy.

“My next event is the Lytham Trophy where they’re playing the Walker Cup this year so to win the South African Amateur title and to win here in Crail is certainly going to do my Walker Cup chances good.”

Neil was returning to competition for a first time since the high of contesting last week’s Masters at Augusta National.

The 19-year old had posted a superb first round 66 before a pair of 71s.

However Neil could look back to three-putt bogeys at the par four 16th and then at the last on day four as pivotal in not securing victory at Crail.

“I am a little disappointed of course to come up one stroke short of forcing a play-off,” he said.

“But then in the bigger picture a share of second is a good confidence lift going forward to the other events I will contest this year.”

Among those events are invitations into next month’s Jack Nicklaus hosted PGA Tour Memorial event in Ohio and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open later in May and being hosted by World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

In fact, McIlroy had spoken with Neil during a Monday practice round at Augusta National in the young Scot teeing-up at Royal County Down.

Syme was among the first to congratulate Young but was left disappointed in shooting a third round 73 after having stormed his way to 13-under par with earlier rounds of 64 and 67.
Drumoig-based Syme then rounded off his Battle Trophy campaign with a 76.