05/09/11
Silverknowes stalwart Graham Robertson emulated his Glenbervie namesake by recording a first Scottish Golf Union Order of Merit success with victory in the Edward Trophy at Glasgow Gailes.
The 34-year-old, last season's Lothians Order of Merit winner, fired rounds of 72, 71, 71 and 67 for a 281 aggregate and a two-shot win in Ayrshire from East Renfrewshire's former Amateur champion, Craig Watson.
St Andrews New man Peter Latimer, who led going into the final round, had to settle for third on 284 after a closing 73, with fellow Fifer Scott Crichton (Aberdour) sharing fourth with Kilmacolm's Matthew Clark on 288.
Robertson, an Edinburgh-based mechanical engineer, trailed Latimer by three shots after 54 holes but "got off to a flyer" in his final round. He started with a birdie then picked up a second shot at the par-5 fifth.
The pivotal moment came at the ninth, where Robertson, who tied for seventh in the Tennant Cup earlier in the year, decided not to take on a tricky pin position and was aiming for the middle of the green with his approach.
"But I pushed it to four feet and made birdie, which was a bit fortunate," he admitted of a shot that earned him a tie for the lead.
Despite feeling "every shot felt under pressure" on the back nine, Robertson held his game together remarkably well as he went on to record a notable victory.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I can pull off a win like this," he said. "Even if I had come up just short it would have been great experience for me.
"But it was nice that I managed to bring every part of my game together over four rounds. I holed some clutch putts at times and that was very pleasing.
"The Edward Trophy is an old event and it's fantastic for me to follow Philip McLean as the winner. It's a brilliant end to the season."
Colville Park's Ross Kellett shared sixth place with Lanarkshire team-mate Steven Rennie on 289, whille defending champion Philip McLean was a further four shots back in ninth spot.
Robertson's namesake - the only difference is that the Stirling University student spells his christian name as Graeme - won the previous weekend's counting event, the South-East District Open at Musselburgh.
He didn't play at Glasgow Gailes due to the fact he's in Slovenia with the Stirling team representing Britain in the European Universities' Championship this week, leaving Lundin’s Scotland international James White as the 2011 SGU Order of Merit winner.
Click here for final totals from the Edward Trophy at Glasgow Gailes Golf Links.