Gavin wins Stirling 36-hole Order of Merit challenge

Gavin Hay stood firm as things started to get a bit “twitchy” to win the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour’s 36-hole Order of Merit Challenge at Stirling.

The East Renfrewshire pro strung together rounds of 68 and 67  over a wonderfully presented Stirling course to win by two shots with a nine-under aggregate of 135.

Hay had been bounding his way to victory having covered 13 holes of his final round in five-under.

With victory in his grasp, and the tension beginning to mount, he leaked a shot on the last to give the chasing pack a glimmer of hope.

But Hay repaired the damage with great aplomb and finished with a birdie to gild the lily and earn the £1600 top prize.

“It was a terrible short putt I missed on 17, it was a wee bit twitchy,” he said. “But thankfully, I hit a great drive on 18.”

Paul McKechnie was runner-up on 137 after a closing 70 while last year’s Tartan Tour No 1 Paul O’Hara shared third with big brother Steven on 138.

CLICK HERE to view a full list of results from the

• Categories:
• Scotland