He is not quite the vintage of Old Tom Morris but there’s still plenty of golfing life left in the hardy perennial that is Greig Hutcheon.
Victory in the M&H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles yesterday underlined Hutcheon’s competitive longevity and gave the canny Aberdonian hope that there are a few good years left yet.
“Perhaps this was not my last chance to win this after all,” said the 45-year-old with a smile after initially stating earlier in the week that his increasingly creaky cogs and pistons may not stand the test of time.
Hutcheon, who won his first national crown in 1999 and doubled up in 2013, was in fine fettle yesterday and a closing two-under 68 over the King’s course for a 12-under aggregate of 268 gave him a narrow victory over the O’Hara siblings, Steven and Paul. The £9000 first prize was as warmly received as a dram on a dour night.
“It’s a long winter when you’re a pro in Scotland so £9000 goes a long way,” said the three-time Challenge Tour winner. “This possibly feels better than the first two. I’ll be 46 in March. Last year I had various ailments and I was thinking my body was giving up but to come back here and shoot 12-under for four days gives me hope. I’m pretty chuffed.”
Hutcheon and Paul O’Hara began the final day in a share of the lead but that position of authority came under threat from the oldest O’Hara brother, Steven.
A charging seven-under 63 – he covered his last two rounds in 12-under – propelled him on to an 11-under tally as the 38-year-old showed all the
qualities that made him a regular on the European Tour. Always one of the finest ball strikers around, O’Hara’s long-standing woes with the putter provided the kind of wearisome burden that Atlas had to shoulder.
After years of crippling toil and
trouble on the greens, the former Scottish Amateur champion seems to have finally found the answer with some pearls of putting wisdom from Stirling pro Kenny Monaghan.
“I’ve tried putting coaches all over the world and I’ve experimented with every grip and every method,” he said of this search for a golfing holy grail. “But Kenny has sorted me out.”
O’Hara senior had thrust himself into the mix while his younger brother, Paul, was still very much in contention as things began to unravel on the run-in.
A key moment arrived on the driveable 14th where Paul O’Hara’s tee-shot stuck on the bank instead of kicking down and he was left with a desperate recovery shot. A bogey ensued while his misery was compounded by Hutcheon’s birdie.
“It was the worst lie possible,” lamented Paul O’Hara, who has now finished second three times. “That’s usually a birdie hole so a bogey felt like a double bogey.”
He swiftly countered with a brace of birdies at 15 and 16 but when he missed a par putt of six feet on 17, Hutcheon knocked his one in from just inside him to lead by two again.
Paul O’Hara mounted a final assault with a raking drive and a 7-iron to set up an eagle chance but his effort to force a play-off drifted just wide.
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