Scotland’s Cameron Adam held his nerve, and withstood a sensational final-day charge from Ireland’s John Doyle, to win the 2025 St Andrews Links Trophy on Sunday.
Adam had started the 36-hole final day holding a two-shot lead over the field following a best-of-the-day 8-under-par 64 in the championship’s second round (but first at the Old Course following a first round at the Jubilee Course).
On Sunday, with the action confined to the Old Course, the low-scoring honours belonged to Doyle, who completed rounds of 66-65 to overhaul an eight-shot deficit and set a clubhouse target of 17-under 271 that only Adam ever looked like matching.
He did so with a bogey-free final round of 68 that included par at 17 and birdie at 18 to force a play-off in which par at the first extra hole was enough to secure victory.
“I was fortunate that I was fresh off 18 and still in the zone, so I was quietly confident,” the winner told The Scotsman afterwards.
“It feels awesome. It was a long day out there starting out with the lead and having to battle away throughout the day. It is definitely really satisfying now that I’ve won it.
“I started checking the scores midway through the final round and I knew playing 14 what John had posted and I needed to pick up two shots on the way in. When I was standing on the last tee, I knew I needed to birdie it.”
The left-hander, who plays out of the Royal Burgess Golfing Society, is the first Scottish winner of the Links Trophy since Grant Forrest triumphed in 2014.
It is also his second success at St Andrews after he helped Northwestern University win the St Andrews Links Collegiate last year and will help his hopes of making the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team in September.
Mark Stockdale of England finished alone in third, three shots back of the winning mark, and his compatriot Harley Smith shared fourth with Scotland’s Niall Shiels Donegan on 12-under.
RESULTS
South of the border, John Kemp from Woburn Golf Club successfully defended the English Senior Men’s Amateur Stroke Play titles following a thrilling three-way play-off on the Hotchkin Course at the National Golf Centre in Woodhall Spa.
Kemp, Stephen Jensen (Trevose) and Scotland’s Kenneth Gallacher ended the 54-hole regulation play on 1-under 217. The eventual winner missed a 3-foot winning birdie putt at the first extra hole before securing the win with birdie at the second play-off hole.
“It was a bit of an ordeal,” Kemp said afterwards. “I thought I’d blown it with that bad miss in the play-off. But I’ve won the Champion of Champions and the Midland Amateur here, so I love this golf course.”
Former R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers (Worplesdon) was just a shot back of the lead after 36 holes but slipped out of contention early in the final round.
Matt Cooper