A BOGEY on the final hole cost Jack Doherty the chance of a maiden victory on the European Challenge Tour in the Hauts de France Golf Open at Saint Omer yesterday.
The 35-year-old Scot had been sharing the lead with Frenchman Julien Guerrier playing the last but stumbled to a damaging five in a level-par 71 as his playing partner stole the title by a shot on a seven-under aggregate.
Doherty, whose best finish of the season had been a share of 22nd, thrust himself into a two-shot lead after covering the first 11 holes of the closing round in three-under.
But a brace of bogeys at 12 and 13 allowed the chasing pack to close in and, after Guerrier had birdied the 17th, another spilled shot from Doherty on the 72nd hole proved decisive as he dropped back into a tie for second.
Elsewhere, a sizeable tartan army has made the trek to the south-east corner of England for this week’s Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s.
Twenty years after East Renfrewshire’s Craig Watson won the title at the venerable Sandwich links – he is making a return this week at the sprightly age of 50 – a new generation will be aiming to continue Scotland’s impressive recent record in the unpaid game’s blue riband event.
In its last seven stagings of the championship,there have been five Scottish finalists but only one winner, . James Byrne and Michael Stewart lost in 2010 and 2011 respectively while Bradley Neil lifted the trophy at Portrush in 2014.
Grant Forrest was runner-up the following season while Glencruitten left-hander Robert MacIntyre, who lost in the 36-hole final to Englishman Scott Gregory a year ago at Porthcawl, will be in action and is joined in the line-up by the in-form Liam Johnston, winner of the Scottish Strokeplay Championship, and Walker Cup hopeful Connor Syme.
On the female front, Ireland’s Leona Maguire, the world No.1, underlined her considerable talents by winning the Ladies British Amateur Championship at Pyle & Kenfig, in Wales at the weekend.
The 22-year-old Curtis Cup player easing to a 3&2 victory over Ainhoa Olarra of Spain, a victory which earned her invitations to both the US Women’s Open and the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
Meanwhile, Paul O’Hara will return to Tartan Tour duty this week buoyed by the biggest victory of his career in the PGA Professional Championship at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland, O’Hara, fresh from winning the Northern Open on the domestic circuit the previous week, finished with a three-under 285 and pippinged his Tartan Tour colleague, Chris Currie, to the £10,000 top prize by a single shot.
O’Hara became the first Scotsman to win the PGA Professional title since Gordon Law back in 2003.
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