Lee, O’Hara and Doak tie for top in Order of Merit shoot-out

Craig Lee, Chris Doak and Paul O’Hara shared the spoils in the latest Arnold Clark Order of Merit 36-holer at Balmore.

With gusting winds providing plenty of menace and mischief, the leading trio finished on one-under aggregates of 131 and each picked up a £992 share of the prize fund.

O’Hara, last year’s Tartan Tour No 1, had set the early pace after an opening 63 with former DP World Tour players Lee and Doak lurking just a shot behind.

Harnessing the tricky conditions on day two required poise and patience and Lee was making a good fist of it until a double-bogey on the 13th, a bogey on the 14th and another dropped shot on 15 which opened the door for his playing partners, O’Hara and Doak.

Lee rallied with a birdie on the 16th to stay in a tie at the top while O’Hara saw victory elude him on the last when he slipped to a bogey to ensure the honours would be shared at the end of a nip-and-tuck tussle. Lee and Doak both signed off with one-over 67s with O’Hara closing with a 68.

The tie for first cemented his place at the top of the Order of Merit ahead of the next counting event, the £15,000 36-hole Challenge at Strathmore later this month.

Alan Welsh and Alastair Forsyth shared fourth place on three-over 135s.