Joe Bryce’s less is more approach to competitive golf this season was rewarded with victory in the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour’s latest 36-hole Order of Merit Challenge at Bishopbriggs.
The 28-year-old Bathgate pro reeled off rounds of 68 and 64 for a 10-under aggregate and won by a single shot from East Renfrewshire’s Gavin Hay.
Bryce, who made his Order of Merit breakthrough at Hilton Park last year, has taken on a new role as a technical sales rep with Edinburgh-based golf technology company, Shot Scope.
Bryce admits he’s been “seeing a lot of tarmac” as he hits the road to deal with his UK customers, but he was a smash hit on the fairways and greens of Bishopbriggs as he claimed a fine win.
“I played in pretty much everything I could last year but having started a new job this season I just don’t have as much time to play,” said Bryce, after picking up a cheque for £1,300.
“I’m still keen to play but when I was doing it all the time it was quite draining. I think I’m enjoying it a bit more this year and when you’re not playing all the time, you get more excited when you do.”
Two shots off the lead after day one, Bryce upped the ante in his title push during round two with a five-under outward half before making a brace of birdies at the 15th and 16th which proved crucial in the final analysis.
“I learned from a mistake on the 15th the previous day,” added Bryce. “In round one, I had about 220-yards to the flag and decided to give it a go and ended up losing my ball in the hazard.
“I was in a similar position in round two and with a bit of scar tissue from the first day I decided to play it sensibly. I knocked it up to a decent yardage, gave myself a nice wedge in and holed a seven-footer for birdie.”
Hay signed off with a 66 for a nine-under tally while the Carnegie Club’s Taylor Kerr closed with a 70 to finish third on six-under.
Click here for all the scores from Bishopbriggs
