Former professional who is now a policeman has Dispatch Trophy triumph in sights
Golf Correspondent Martin Dempster previews semi-finals of historic team tournament
Stuart McLaren, a former professional now on the beat as a policeman, is back enjoying his golf as he bids to add a Dispatch Trophy triumph, creating history at the same time, to an impressive CV.
The 31-year-old is through to Saturday morning’s semi-finals at the Braids with Stewart’s Melville FP, a team which has a rich history in the Edinburgh Evening News event.
Stewart’s College FP landed four triumphs between 1911 and 1924 before Melville College FP emulated the feat in 1938. Now a merged team is bidding to claim the iconic trophy for the first time.
Along with Guy Dalziel, McLaren was forced to sit out a last-16 win over Heriot’s Quad before both players returned for Thursday night’s quarter-final win over Heriot’s FP.
Scott Simpson and Drew McIntosh, meanwhile, have played in all of Stew Mel’s matches so far in the 126th edition and it will be the same quartet to face Turnhouse team BBT in the last four.
“We all went to school at the same time, with the three others being in the same year and me being in the year above them,” said Dalziel. “As a result of that, we all went on a regular golf trip to Portugal together and it’s great that we are now joining forces in the Dispatch Trophy.”
The quartet have already secured a first-ever medal in the Edinburgh Leisure-run tournament, which, for McLaren in particular, is very rewarding indeed.
At a time when he was one of the top players in the Lothians - he won both the East of Scotland Open and South East District Open in 2019 - the Bruntsfield Links man was a man on a mission every time he turned up at the Braids but always ended up being disappointed.
Semi-finalist played on Tartan Pro Tour
It then seemed that his chance to be part of a winning side in the tournament had disappeared when he took a big leap by turning professional.
Over a period of a few years, McLaren first played on the PGA EuroPro Tour then the Paul Lawrie-run Tartan Pro Tour and gave it his best shot.
It had got to the stage, though, where he wasn’t enjoying his golf, hence why he’s now back in the amateur ranks, where he is playing off plus six, and working as a policeman.
Before playing against Heriot’s FP on Thursday night, McLaren had already had 18 holes at West Linton, where he won the Police Scotland Spring Meeting with a two-under-par score.
He’s also teeing up in next week’s Scottish Men’s Open at Glasgow Gailes, though his focus for the moment is trying to pull off what would be a sweet success for Stew Mel.
“The Dispatch Trophy is a good fun event and that’s what I wanted to rediscover in golf after being reinstated as an amateur,” admitted McLaren.
Fellow Bruntsfield Links member McIntosh, brother of former Scottish Boys’ champion Eric, plays off scratch, as does Dalziel, who has tasted a fair amount of team success in recent years as a Craigielaw member.
Simpson, meanwhile, is off one and, though a junior at Murrayfield, his home club is now Golf House Club Elie.
Murrayfield, who face Riccarton A in the other semi-final, had debutant Harrison Shaw to thank for their last-eight win over Dalmahoy.
“Harrison gave us a pep talk when we were two down at the turn,” revealed team-mate Cameron Whyte, “and we then won the tenth with a birdie, the next three with pars and the 14th with a birdie to go three up.”
Shaw, an 18-year-old who plays off plus two, is Murrayfield’s current junior champion and, like every other player who has represented the Capital club since becoming newcomers in 2017, he’s now a big Dispatch Trophy fan. “Its a great competition and I love the course,” he declared, smiling.