Blairgowrie teenager Connor Graham finishes second in Lytham Trophy

Blairgowrie teenager Connor Graham underlined his credentials for next year’s Walker Cup in St Andrews after coming within a whisker of pulling off a first Scottish success in the Lytham Trophy since 2007.

Graham, who created history in last year’s Scottish Amateur Championship by becoming the youngest player to reach the finals at just 14, finished second in one of the biggest events on the amateur calendar after producing a brilliant last-day performance at The Open venue.

The title eventually fell to England’s John Gough, but he needed a timely birdie-3 at the 17th to edge ahead of Graham after the mop-haired young Scot had set the clubhouse target with a closing one-under 69.

Graham, the world No 669 but a far better player than that indicates, had opened with two 71s on Friday and Saturday before stepping up his challenge with a 70 in the penultimate round on Sunday morning.

He dropped a shot at the fifth in the final circuit before rallying with birdies at the seventh, eighth and 11th. After a bogey at the 17th, he signed off with a 69 to finish on one-over 281.

Gough, the younger brother of 2019 Walker Cup player Connor, found himself tied with Graham after dropping three shots in a row on the back nine before regaining his composure to make a title-winning birdie-3 at the 17th.

Still in the amateur ranks, Scottish champion Chloe Goadby (St Regulus) finished in a tie for second behind England’s Alice Barlow in the Welsh Women's Open Stroke Play at Southerndown.

Goadby, who watched boyfriend Laird Shepherd play in last month’s Masters at Augusta National, carded rounds of 73-75-73 for a one-under total, four behind Bury St Edmunds player Barlow.

On the Ladies European Tour, Michele Thomson recorded her third top-10