Scotland's Calum Scott gave the home crowd something to cheer about with a final-round 76 that saw him win the Silver Medal as the leading amateur at The 152nd Open Championship.
The 20-year-old dropped five shots on the back nine as he closed on eight over par at Royal Troon, beating Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen and American Tommy Morrison by three strokes.
Spain’s Luis Masaveu, the only other amateur to make the cut, finished on 18 over.
Scott, who hails from Nairn, some 200 miles from Troon, said: “I’m super happy, excited, buzzing. It’s one of the highest honours you can win as an amateur.
"First of all, you have to make the cut to win this award and to be over 11 other amateurs, I'm very proud of myself for that.
"To compete in a tournament like The Open, it's just amazing.
"I did the last 100 yards just walking and I got kind of emotional. I still had two putts to hit so I couldn't fully but I was embracing it. It's a memory I'll have forever and cherish for a lifetime."
Congratulations Calum Scott, our leading amateur and winner of the Silver Medal. pic.twitter.com/FroKtBiPzF
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 21, 2024
Among the other notable winners of the Silver Medal are José María Olazábal, Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick, while Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only players in history to have won the low amateur honour and the Claret Jug.
Reflecting on adding his name to an illustrious list, he said: It's one of the highest honours I think you can win as an amateur.
"You have to make the cut to win this award, and to be top over 11 other amateurs, I'm very proud of myself for that. To compete in a tournament like The Open, it's just amazing.”
Scott represented Great Britain and Ireland in the 2023 Walker Cup, following in the footsteps of brother Sandy who took on the United States four years previously.
He made it to Troon via the Open Amateur Series and is currently 13th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Scott attends Texas Tech University - the same college where both his brother and Ryder Cup star Ludvig Åberg studied - and fully intends on completing his final year before thinking about entering the paid ranks.
“I’ve obviously got a year left at college so I’ll see where that puts me," said Scott, who had previously made one DP World Tour start at the 2022 Hero Open.
"This puts me in a good position going forward, like maybe starts or something in regards to events. I think the opportunities that college has with the PGA TOUR, I just think it's a no-brainer to go back and try to compete for that PGA TOUR card."
