Paul O’Hara held his nerve and holed a closing birdie putt on the 18th green to win the Ramsdens Currency Scottish PGA Championship at Scotscraig.
On a dramatic day of fluctuating fortunes at the sharp end of the leaderboard, O’Hara trundled in a 15-footer for a decisive three as he pipped the gallant Craig Lee to the title by a single shot.
The 38-year-old’s one-under 70 gave him a 17-under aggregate and a slender victory over Lee, who came barging up the order with a rousing 64.
O’Hara, a dominant force on the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour over the years, etched his name on to the Scottish PGA Championship’s roll of honour for the second time after a maiden win back in 2019.
“I’m delighted and relieved too,” admitted O’Hara, who was one shot ahead of Scott Henderson and seven clear of Lee at the start of the final round.
“It was one of those days when it just didn’t click but I’m pleased with the way I dug in and battled. I saw Craig making a run and thought, ‘jeez, I need to get going here’.
“I’d lost in a play-off to get into The Open back in July and I’ve also lost two play-offs in the Scottish PGA. Standing over that final putt I said to myself, ‘please hole this’ as I didn’t want to go through another play-off.”
With the final group of O’Hara and Henderson well ahead of the rest at the start of the day – Stuart Easton was five behind Henderson in third – it appeared to be a two-horse race for the crown.
Lee had other ideas though and mounted a valiant assault. As O’Hara and Henderson struggled to hit top gear, Lee surged to the turn in 30 to get to within two shots of the lead.
With the tension mounting, O’Hara leaked a shot on the short 15th then three-putted from distance for a par on 16 just as Lee was making a birdie on the 18th which gave him the clubhouse lead.
O’Hara rose to the occasion on the last and flighted his approach to 15-feet before rolling in the putt and delivering a fist pump of jubilation.
“Funnily enough, I didn’t feel any nerves today,” added O’Hara, who has starts in the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour to look forward to as a reward for winning The PGA Play-offs earlier this season.
“I’m a much better player now than I was when I first won this in 2019. I’ve won on a tour out in the US, I’ve had starts on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, so I’ve had plenty of experience at the top level.
“Mentally, I’m much stronger because of that and I can handle the pressure of these situations better.”
Lee’s quest for that elusive Scottish PGA title goes on after O’Hara’s late show condemned him to a sixth second place finish in the national championship.
“The dreaded second again,” said the 48-year-old with a philosophical smile. “But given how far back I was, I’m delighted as I didn’t think I had a chance. I’m running out of years and getting close to the last push, but we’ll keep going.”
With Lee piling the pressure on, Irvine pro Easton also made a late push with an eagle on 16 and a birdie at 17 in a 66 which left him third on 15-under. Easton won the prize for the leading assistant in the field.
Henderson, the Aberdeen veteran who won the Senior Scottish PGA event that was held in conjunction with the main championship, closed with a 72 and finished fourth on 14-under.
Bothwell Castle’s David Booth came powering up into fifth on 13-under with a brilliant nine-under 62 which included an albatross two on the par-five ninth.
“It’s the first albatross I’ve ever had,” said Booth, who holed his 9-iron approach from 171-yards. “I also chipped in for an eagle on the 14th. It’s a funny game sometimes.”
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