15/08/11
Fraserburgh’s Jordan Findlay held his nerve to hole a 10-foot par putt on the final green to clinch a superb victory in the North East District Open Championship at Inchmarlo.
The 23-year-old, who finished third in the SGU Order of Merit last year, closed with a final round 68 to post a two-under par aggregate of 278, one shot clear of Bryan Innes (Murcar Links), Pollok’s Conor O’Neil and Scott Crichton, who led the championship after the second and third rounds.
Findlay’s win is his first of the season and gives him a great boost of confidence ahead of his European Tour School Qualifying campaign, which gets underway next month. After opening with a two-over par 72, he moved into contention with consecutive rounds of 69 before his two-under par final round as Crichton’s challenge faltered with a losing 72.
Crichton had surged into a six-shot halfway lead after opening with rounds of 68 and 66, but he saw that margin trimmed to one as O’Neil, Findlay and his fellow Fraseburgh man Justin Duff closed in on the lead. O’Neil endured a frustrating final round with the putter however while Duff bogeyed the last two holes to end his chances of victory.
Former Scotland international Bryan Innes ended his championship in style with a five-under par final round 65 to clinch a share of second spot, while last year’s champion Gordon Stevenson put in a solid defence with a respectable eleventh place finish on 287.
Click here for final totals from Inchmarlo.