An eagle at Gleneagles? Finales don’t get more fitting. For the second time in three years, Gareth Wright got his hands on the M&H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship trophy as he edged out Paul O’Hara at the first play-off hole in the 100th staging of this cherished old tournament.
It was Wright’s eagle-three in the sudden death shoot-out which proved decisive. Locked together at the top on 16-under aggregates of 268, having matched each other over the final round with a pair of 68s, it looked like the PGA staff would have to dig out the hydraulic jaws of life tools to prise the pair apart. Wright used his 6-iron to equally good effect, though.
His approach with that club from 201 yards came to rest within six-feet of the 18th hole and, after O’Hara had raced his own eagle attempt past the cup before bravely trundling in a birdie, Wright calmly rolled in his three to plunder the first prize of £9000.
“It’s been a strange year of mixed emotions,” reflected Wright, an Edinburgh-based Welshman who was born in England and has represented Scotland. “I’ve been playing quite a bit of golf on other tours due to some of the exemptions I had for winning the PGA Play-offs. I played in four European Tour events and some of them clashed with things here so I’ve taken my eye off the Tartan Tour.
“I made the cut once in those European outings but I felt I deserved a bit more. I think this win has highlighted the level of my golf this year.”
It was Wright who made an early surge with a brace of birdies on the opening two holes to move two clear of O’Hara but, in a nip-and-tuck final round, the destination of the title would go right down to the wire.
O’Hara swiped his drive on 18 well left and had to play a blind approach which came up about 120-feet short but he produced a terrific two-putt from a raking distance to match Wright’s closing birdie and ensure a play-off. His Welsh rival would not be denied when they played the 18th again, though, and Wright’s title-winning eagle saw him finish with a flourish.
O’Hara, who has enjoyed a profitable season on the domestic front, can console himself with a place in next week’s PGA Play-Offs having finished second on the Tartan Tour’s order of merit. “I’ve stepped it up this year and because I’ve finished my PGA training I’ve been able to play more,” said the 30-year-old, who will head south to Saunton in Devon for those aforementioned play-offs that reward the leading finishers with a number of potentially lucrative European Tour starts. “There is still plenty to play for and I’m not too disappointed.”
For Graham Fox, the past few days have been fairly profitable. Last Saturday, he finished in a share of second in Turkey, alongside the former Open champion John Daly, at the Beko Classic and followed that up with a share of third here on a 11-under 273. Given that Fox had a bit of dash to get back to Scotland for his Monday tee-off in the Scottish Championship it was perhaps unsurprising that he began with a sluggish 74. He certainly upped the ante, though, and a pair of 65s to finish saw him hurtle up alongside Louis Gaughan and Greig Hutcheon, the two-time Scottish champion, who also signed off with a 65. That finish was enough to give Hutcheon the No 1 placing in the Tartan Tour’s order of merit.
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