Result - Medals Final. King’s. White tees. Sat 3rd Oct.
Redemption, Clerical Justice, and Sand Traps: The 2026 Medal Finals
The curtain came down on the qualifying season this Saturday over the glorious turf of the King’s Course with the playing of the Medal Finals. It was an afternoon of peerless scoring at the sharp end, unmentionable carnage further down the card, and a triumphant dose of cosmic justice for one of the club's finest ball-strikers.
Earlier in the week, an administrative oversight in the records—thankfully nowhere near the dizzying scale of Manchester City’s alleged 114 breaches—saw past champion David Logie erroneously omitted from the published roll of seasonal qualifiers. Having rightfully earned his ticket by capturing the Gross prize at the Gordon Lockhart, Logie was duly restored to the field. He responded in the only manner befitting a champion: by dismantling the King’s Course with a majestic, clinic-like round of 74 gross to capture the Scratch Medal Final Championship. Strolling off the 18th green with the lowest gross score of the day, David proved that class is permanent and bureaucratic glitches are entirely irrelevant once the spikes are laced up.
In the Net competition, the day belonged unreservedly to Rob Simpson. Playing off a playing handicap of 13, Simpson produced an absolute masterclass of controlled, strategic golf, matching a superb 77 gross to sign for a breathtaking net 64. It was a total so scintillating it blew the chasing pack out of the water, leaving in-form runners-up David McLeod and Michael Page trailing four shots back on 68.
Warmest congratulations go to David Logie and Rob Simpson on their respective triumphs in the 2026 Medal Finals!
The Perils of the 1st: Billy Z’s Pinball Odyssey
Naturally, no Dun Whinny medal final is complete without its share of clubhouse folklore, and Saturday’s dispatch belongs squarely to Billy Z McNeill on the opening hole.
Equipped with his newly upgraded vision, Billy Z opened his campaign with an immaculate strike down the fairway, followed by a textbook layup. Arriving for his third, his approach clipped the right fringe. Facing a delicate chip to a treacherous front pin position, his strike trickled agonisingly past the cup and rolled straight off the green, trundling down the false front. Undeterred, Billy clipped a crisp wedge back up that came to rest safely in the middle of the dancefloor.
Standing over the par putt, a touch of heavy-handed adrenaline took over. The ball skipped past the hole, picked up speed on the downslope, and bounded directly into the greenside bunker. Demonstrating pure grit, Billy slashed out with a superb sand shot and tidied up with two putts, cheerfully pencilling in a 9 to start his afternoon. Golf remains the ultimate character builder.
The Captain/Pro Challenge: A Heroic Sickness-Bed Scramble
This correspondent was unfortunately struck down with a vicious bout of flu on Saturday morning and confined to barracks, unable to join the fray on the King's. However, twenty-four hours earlier, I did manage to drag myself out of sick bed for the annual Captain/Pro Challenge over the PGA Centenary Course alongside my trusty partner, Mr Jon Cooper.
Standing on the first tee, Cooper and I found ourselves contemplating the great golfing mystery of how a professional only plays off scratch in a friendly match. What unfolded was an enthralling, nip-and-tuck duel where neither side was permitted to pull more than one up.
In a fever-induced haze, this correspondent had earlier dreamt of Cooper jarring a miraculous hole-in-one on the 10th. Alas, whether due to excessive flu medication or the brisk autumn wind, reality failed to match hallucination and the ace did not materialise.
The contest arrived on the 17th tee all square, balanced on a knife-edge. Summoning the last remaining ounces of flu-suppressed energy, this correspondent won the 17th hole to seize the lead. Walking onto the 18th green with the match on the line, I held my nerve to knock in a testing 18-inch putt, closing out an unforgettable 1-up victory.
While the match was contested in the warmest possible spirit and raised vital funds for the sick kids, it leaves our esteemed Captain and Professional bearing the painful knowledge that their challenge has officially ended in defeat for the year. A splendid cause, a memorable scalp, and just enough medicine to see the job through!
Taz
