JAMIE SAVAGE of Cawder is the new Irish men's amateur open champion.

He won the title at Royal Dublin Golf Club yesterday with a total of 288, the only man in a huge, star-studded field to finish with a level-par aggregate after four testing rounds.

Savage finished two shots clear of a quartet of players that included Irish close champion and University of Stirling student Cormac Sharvin and the long-time leader Gary McDermott from Carton House.

The Scot's second-round 68, after an opening 74, put him in a strong position at halfway, but after a 75 in the third round he needed something close to par to clinch victory over the final 18 holes: a feat he managed.

Savage's final round of 71 featured an impressive level-par back nine, and clinched a first major international win for the Scot, a 19-year-old who is coached by Stewart Savage - his father - who is professional at Dalmuir golf club.

Savage is the first Scot to lift the title since Gavin Dear in 2009.