HONG KONG, 24 Sept 2015, (HK Golfer News Wire) - Defending champions England were strongly fancied to retain the trophy as play began in glorious sunshine, but with a strong and gusting wind making club selection difficult as Shek O bared it's teeth.
The Shanghai Cup dates back to 1920 and was originally a golfing version of the Calcutta Cup, the annual rugby match between Scotland and England but in recent years the competition has expanded to include each of the four sporting Home Nations.
Against all the odds, the Scotland team of Derek Crampton, Paul Curran, Charles McLaughlin and Alan McTaggart ran away with the silverware, romping home first in each of the groups for a maximum possible 16 points - a first for the competition. The winning margin was 6.5 points. To add insult to injury Scots also took the prizes for Longest Drive (Crampton) and Nearest Pin (Curran).
The fight for the minor placings was intense, with England edging out Wales by 2 points to claim second place. The Welsh in turn pipped Ireland by half a point, consigning the Irish team to a second consecutive wooden spoon.
The format is straightforward: each country fields a four-man team, with each of the four flights containing a representative from each of those nations. Points are awarded within each flight, with four points going to the winner, three to the runner-up, and so on.
Shanghai Cup Results
1 Scotland 16 points
Derek Crampton (4 points)), Paul Curran (4), Charles McLaughlin (4), Alan McTaggart (4)
2 England 9.5 points
Robin Hammond (3 points), Richard Sutton (2.5), Jim Wardell (2), Richard Garrett (2)
3 Wales 7.5 points
Jonathan Williams (1 point), Justin Davies (2.5), Stephen Gore (1), Ian Joshua (3)
4 Ireland 7 points
Tad Beczak (2 points), Mark Cummings (1), Mervyn Jacob (3), Taylor Hui (1)