Dubai delight for Scot
14/10/2015
Scottish PGA pro Clarke Lutton has landed his maiden success on the MENA Golf Tour at The Els Club, Dubai.
Lutton was four in front overnight and closed with a two-under 70 to reach 13-under 203 for the tournament, seeing off a strong challenge from Trevor Marshall of New Zealand on the home stretch.
Lutton's earlier rounds over what he considers his home course were 67 and 66, his lowest ever scores on the MENA Tour.
The Dubai-based 27 year old, who got his three year PGA qualification under his belt to give himself a good grounding in golf and to gain a better understanding of the golf swing before embarking in a playing career, becomes the second Scot after Paul Doherty, to have his name inscribed on a MENA (Middle East North Africa) Golf Tour trophy.
“I am just ecstatic. I just can’t describe how I am feeling about my first win as a professional,” said Lutton who hails from Aberdeen.
“It wasn’t easy – it was a big test of nerve indeed.
“I think playing the tournament with an aggressive mindset did the trick. It was my short game in the final round that really kept me going as I made some good up-and-down pars.
“The birdie on the 14th was crucial when I holed a long 12-foot putt which kind of steadied my nerves.”
New Zealand’s Marshall had his chances, but could not capitalise on the par-5s which he played in level par on the final round.
“When you are chasing down a big four-shot lead, you need to do well on all the par-5s, but that didn’t happen. All credit to Clarke, who really played well and deserved to win,” said Marshall.
