Kieran Cantley targets Scotland cap after Champion of Champions triumph

Liberton's Kieran Cantley has set his sights on a full Scotland cap after getting his 2018 domestic campaign off to a flying start.

Kieran Cantley with Leven Golfing Society Captain, Ewan MacGregor (left), dad Jim and Leven Golfing Society Vice Captain, Stewart Kirkwood (right)

The 20-year-old held off Euan McIntosh from Turnhouse in the final round to win the Scottish Champion of Champions at Leven Links. The success backed up Cantley’s victory in the North of Scotland Open last August and now he’s heading into this weekend’s Craigmillar Park Open full of confidence.

“I feel I am one of the best players in Scotland and getting a place in the team for this year’s Home Internationals is definitely one of my goals,” he said.

Cantley shot rounds of 66-66-71-67 for a 14-under-par total in the traditional curtain-raiser in Fife, triumphing by a shot from McIntosh, winner of the Leven Gold Medal over the same course last year. “It was a very good win as Euan didn’t let up and pushed me all the way to the end,” admitted Cantley.

He was disappointed to miss the cut by a shot in the Portuguese Amateur Championship at Montado Golf Resort earlier in the year but went into this event feeling confident thanks to his coach, Colin Brooks.

“I spoke to Colin about a lot of things after being out in Portugal, one of which was about my putting. I had been over-thinking that and just got up and hit them at Leven and that was the difference.”