Dylan takes Scottish title

Prestigious titles just keep coming for Huddersfield’s golfing boy-wonder Dylan Shaw-Radford.

After winning the 2021 Yorkshire Boys title and going on to become England County Champion of Champions, Dylan headed north and returned with the Scottish Boys’ Open Championship.

And it was hard earned as the competitors had to battle gruelling weather conditions, with Thursday’s play wiped out entirely at Murcar Links, just north of Aberdeen. The tournament was reduced to 54-holes, with a 36-hole final day.

Dylan’s opening level par round left him 5-shots behind early leader, home favourite Connor Graham, with fellow Tyke Ben Brown from Romanby in decent shape on -1. In a bunch on +2 were Ganton pair Tommy Risker and Jack Northgraves, plus Garforth’s Jake Wallis.

But it was the final morning’s -2 round of 69 which proved crucial as Dylan leapfrogged into a 3-stroke lead over English pair Seb Cave and Luke Perkins on +1, with Wallis in a group on +3.

Nobody broke par in the afternoon and Dylan battled to a closing 77 to take the title by a shot from Wales’ Joe Jones and by two from another young Englishman, Thorndon Park’s Charlie Croker.

Jones looked to be heading for a play-off until bogeying the penultimate hole.

Dylan’s impressive six birdies and just four dropped shots on the final morning was a mighty effort in the cold and windy conditions. The Fixby member had only one birdie in the afternoon, at the 16th, but digging deep to play the final seven holes in -1 got him home.

He said afterwards: “I feel great – it was hard, especially with the wind and I made an early double-bogey so I wasn’t sure if I was in front or behind, but I managed to keep it together.

“I just tried to keep it in play, low tee shots, keep it on the fairway. It means a lot to start the season off well. I put a lot of work in this winter, so it’s great to see it pay off.”

Tommy Risker finished best of the other Tykes in 18th spot as the tough conditions took their toll on the field.