Sam Locke wins big in Scottish Men's Amateur final

PRESTWICK, Scotland (August 5, 2017) -- 18-year-old Sam Locke is the Scottish Men's Amateur Champion. His win in the final was by a convincing 9&8 margin over London-born Ryan Lumsden, who is attached to Royal Wimbledon Golf Club but plays for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born grandparents and his affinity for Caledonia. On paper the more experienced 20-year-old Lumsden would seem to have an advanatage, but Locke has been taking inspiration from Ryder Cup stalwart and Open Champion Paul Lawrie all week. Prior to the Saturday final against Lumsden, Locke defeated Nairn’s Sandy Scott and Alasdair McDougall of Elderslie. He's been getting Tweets of support from Lawrie all along the way. “Paul helps me a lot with my game, like the mental side and managing it, so it’s much appreciated,” said Locke. I pick up the phone to him now and again. When I started in the Foundation he gave me his number and said ‘Look, anything at all, give me a call, no matter how silly you may think it is’." And golf is the Locke family business -- Sam's father Andrew is a coach at Lawrie’s Golf Centre on the outskirts of Aberdeen, about a 3 hour drive and on the opposite coast from the historic Prestwick where the Scottish Men's Amateur was held. Today's final was so one sided that Locke was 10-up at the lunch break. That will certainly make it easier to relax and enjoy a sandwich. Locke won most of his holes on the front nine with pars, and turned at 5-up. And perhaps sensing that it would be time to put the match away, Locke made 5 birdies after starting with a bogey on No. 10 in the morning round, shooting the equivalent of 32 with the usual match play concessions. Lumsden did his best to come back in the afternoon and made an eagle on No. 3 (a par 5) and followed that up with a birdie on the par-3 3rd. But it was a patience game for Locke at that point, and he won Nos. 6 and 7 with birdies to pretty much put things away. When you turn at 10-up, you've already got a pretty firm grip on the trophy. Not only because of the huge margin, but because of how well you played to get there. As for Lawrie's influence?" “A lot of guys won’t have someone like that to learn from, an Open champion and Ryder Cup winner. He’s been there and done so much, so it’s amazing to learn off him. When you do things well like this week, it’s good to get compliments as it gives you a big boost.” For runner-up Lumsden, the week certainly wasn't a bad one despite the disappointment of getting "so close" and but not crossing the finish line. The Northwestern University golfer reached the quarterfinals this week in dramatic fashion – winning his match with his first-ever hole in one. In extra holes no less. That's something he'll never forget.