Scotland stripped of seniors title

• Seniors have Home Internationals title taken away from them
• England Golf forced to correct administrative blunder
• Ireland declared ‘rightful winners’ of last month’s event in Sussex

Scotland’s senior men’s Home Internationals team have been stripped of their title after an administrative blunder was corrected yesterday – more than a month after the championship took place.

England Golf, which staged this year’s championship at Crowborough Beacon Golf Club in Sussex, issued a press release declaring Ireland as the winners of the annual tournament following an appeal against the original result.

Three countries – Ireland, England and Scotland – finished level on ‘Match Points’ at the end of the tournament, having each won twice and lost once. After consideration, the trophy was awarded to Scotland, as the defending champions. However, that proved be in clear contravention of the tournament rules, which state that ‘in the “in the event of an overall tie on Match Points, the result will be determined in sequence upon: (i) Overall total points won; (ii) The individual match result of the tieing Countries.

“Should there still be a tie on the number of points the higher placed team in the previous year’s meeting shall have preference.”

“The England Golf Championship Committee concluded that the tie-breaker had been incorrectly applied” – England Golf statement

Ireland, who finished the championship with 18 ‘Game Points’ to England’s 17 and Scotland’s 14.5, appealed against the decision to award the title to Scotland, which, after review, was upheld.

In a statement, England Golf wrote: “The England Golf Championship Committee concluded that the tie-breaker had been incorrectly applied, that the team from the Golfing Union of Ireland were the rightful winners of the championship and the records should be amended accordingly.”

There was, interestingly, no apology offered in the statement for the blunder.

“Sounds like someone from England Golf decided to write the rules of competition in the event of a tie on the back of a fag packet.” – bunkered reader Alasdair Malcolm

After being presented with the trophy at the time, Scotland’s captain David Gardner had expressed his surprise at being awarded the title, saying: “We didn’t think we would win the tournament because we thought it was decided on goal difference. But it turned out that the holders retain.” Except, clearly, they don’t.

A statement from Scottish Golf said: “The wording of the rules for the tournament were ambiguous. An appeal was made by Ireland on the original result and was upheld by the England Golf Championship Committee. We respect that decision and move on.”

The whole matter prompted a furious backlash on the bunkered Facebook page.

Alasdair Malcolm said that the blunder made the event ‘look like a bit of a mickey mouse competition’, adding: “Sounds like someone from England Golf decided to write the rules of competition in the event of a tie on the back of a fag packet at lunch on the last day.”

Meanwhile, West Lothian golfer Alan O’Neill, a Scottish senior international who wasn’t in the side for this year’s match, wrote: “Feel for the guys having been declared winners only for it to be taken away a month later.”

Scotland seniors title woe :: your thoughts

What do you make of the decision to strip the Scots of their Senior Home Internationals title? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below.

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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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