McKechnie shines at Deeside
18/09/2015
Paul McKechnie slashed seven shots off the Paul Lawrie Invitational tournament record low aggregate with a final total of 18-under-par 192.
McKechnie, who shot a course record 62 earlier in the week, won the trophy and the £8,000 first prize with scores of 64, 62 and 66, finishing four ahead of runner-up Paul O'Hara (Clydeway Golf), the Scottish young professionals' champion, who had rounds of 66, 64 and 66 for 14-under 196 to earn £5,500.
Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) and Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) tied for third place on 199 and earned £3,375 each.
McKechnie produced another six birdies with gains at the eighth, ninth, 12th, 15th, 16th and 17th in halves of 34 (two-under) and 32 (four-under).
With no pressure on him, he could afford to bogey the 10th and 18th and still win comfortably.
"The funny thing is that I don't usually play the Deeside course well," said the 38-year-old McKechnie, who lives in Glasgow but has his work base at the Braid Hills Golf Range in Edinburgh.
"I don't think I ever done well here in Tartan Tour events before.
“It was just my week but I have to say I have never seen the Deeside course in such excellent condition, particularly the greens which were magnificent putting surfaces.
"That's why the scoring by a lot of us has been so low this week, that and the lack of a wind over the three days."
This is McKechnie's fourth win in a row on the Tartan Tour, having scored at Elgin, Drumpellier and the Carnegie Club (Skibo Castle) over the past week or two.
O'Hara tried hard to close the gap on McKechnie and, out in 33 with birdies at the sixth, seventh and ninth, he had a glimmer of a chance but the birdie putts would not drop for him after the turn until the 17th.
