Greig Hutcheon underlined his competitive longevity in fine style as he edged to victory in the Northern Open at Portlethen.
The 49-year-old powered to the front with a sparkling seven-under 65 for a nine-under 135 to claim his third victory in one of Scottish professional golf’s most cherished championships.
The indefatigable Hutcheon finished a shot clear of Cameron Marr, Chris Doak and Graeme Robertson in this latest event on The PGA’s Open Series.
“It’s a famous old trophy and it’s really nice to have my name on it for a third time,” said Hutcheon. “And at my age too? There may not be another one. I’m still putting in the work, though, so you never know.”
As the winner of the recent PGA Play-offs, Hutcheon has been afforded the opportunity to do battle on a whole host of fronts with a variety of exciting invitations.
He played in the British Masters on the DP World Tour last month and was on duty on the European Challenge Tour in his native Aberdeen last week.
It's been back to combat on the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour this week and Hutcheon showed he was very much up for the fight with a closing round of great gusto.
He came bursting out of the traps like a greyhound at the Shawfield race night with four birdies to start. Despite a bogey on the sixth, the former Scottish PGA champion surged home with birdies at 12, 13, 14 and 16 which, ultimately, pushed him over the winning line and earned him the £3,200 top prize.
“I wasn’t sure if 65 would win it or or not,” Hutcheon admitted. “I was thinking I would have to birdie the par-5 last. I went into the trees but managed to chip out and make my five. I thought I’d let it go but it was good enough in the end. I’ve got a great summer of events coming up so there’s lots to look forward to.”
Kingsfield pro Marr matched Hutcheon’s 65 with a delightfully assembled seven-birdie card while Doak, a two-time Northern Open champion, finished with a flourish and birdied his last three holes in a 66 to share second.
That trio was made up by Robertson who was two-over after three but mounted a spirited salvage operation and birdied five of his last seven holes in a 67.
Overnight leader Kevin Duncan added a 70 for a seven-under tally while Paul O’Hara, the defending champion, finished four of the lead in a share of 10th on five-under.
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