Day one sees England’s Ross McGowan post a brilliant 64 to take a two shot lead ahead of Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey.
Hoey has a very poor day two and shoots 76, to go to five over par for the championship. McGowan scores 73 and is five under par at the halfway stage. Pre tournament favourite Nick Dougherty fails to make the cut, let down by his putting.
British Links golf
Two stalwarts of British Links golf Paul Lawrie and Paul Broadhurst have made good starts. Lawrie is two under going into the weekend and Broadhurst has picked his way carefully around the golf course to go to three under, two shots off the lead.
His last two victories on the European tour came in this tournament which he won in 2005, his first victory in ten years, and then successfully defended in 2006.
The standout round on day three comes from Dutchman Maarten Lafeber. Innocuously moving through the front nine, his game explodes into life as he goes birdie mad shoots seven under par on the back nine to hit a 64 and finish tied for the lead.
Former Portugese Open champion Broadhurst
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is playing consistently and with a three under par 68 moves into contention. Ross McGowan consolidates with an even par round and the two Paul’s, Lawrie and Broadhurst, shoot 68 and 67 respectively, with Lawrie on five under and Broadhurst taking a one shot lead into the final day.
On the final day, which of these middleweights of European Golf are going to strike for glory?
Broadhurst drops three shots in his first five holes and the leaderboard is changing every few minutes. By halfway through the round there are 11 players separated by only one shot and the tournament is up for grabs for whoever can keep there nerve on the back nine this Sunday afternoon.
Michael Hoey, who has made a tremendous comeback after his 2nd round, reaches seven under with the par five 16th next. Fernandez-Castano has also reached the same score and with his superior experience is probably favourite, even if he does have a disconcerting habit of allowing his caddie to line up his putts.
It is beginning to unravel for Paul Lawrie. In truth, all of the players are nervy, each seem to both realise and be held back by the awareness of what they can achive in the next hour or so. This is perfectly illustrated by Michael Hoey who misses a six foot putt at the last and takes a lead into the club house of seven under rather than eight under par.
The contenders are falling away. Broadhurst double bogey’s the thirteenth to go back to three under. Fernandez-Castano misses a great chance for eagle at sixteen but does biride to remain in the hunt. Hoey watches his rivals fall like flies in the club house.
Francesco Molinari finishes at six under, Broadhurst five and Paul Lawrie four under. Only one man can catch Hoey and that is Fernandez-Castano. He hits a poor approach to 18 but recovers to make par and force a play-off.
On the first hole Fernandez-Castano holes a fifteen footer for par to put the pressure on Hoey to nail a downhill five foot putt to stay in the play-off. No problem for Hoey.
On the second hole Fernandez-Castano comes close with a 35 foot putt and Hoey shows strong nerves to stay alive by firing in another five foot putt to take the play-off to a third hole.
They move to the 17th hole and after both players miss the green Fernandez-Castano misses a twelve foot putt, Hoey knocks his in and gains his maiden European Tour victory.
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