Gary Orr became the first home winner of the Scottish Senior Open in more than a decade as he triumphed by one stroke at Craigielaw Golf Club.
The Helensburgh native held his nerve on the 54th and final hole as he matched Paul Streeter’s birdie to finish with a four under par total, one-stroke ahead of the Englishman, and in doing so became the first Scottish winner of this event since Sam Torrance in 2006.
Orr’s first Staysure Tour title came less than a month after his runner-up result at the Willow Senior Golf Classic and fourth-placed finish at the Travis Perkins Masters a fortnight ago.
The 51 year old started the day with a three-stroke lead on nine under par, which he increased to five strokes, but the weather took control of proceedings on the East Lothian coast, with strong winds forcing a 15-minute delay during play. As a result of the testing conditions, only Orr and Streeter finished under par, with four golfers settling for level par totals.
“It was really tough today,” said Orr. “It was a day for battling away and just hanging in there. I didn’t realise I had a five-shot lead until the last few holes, so it was nice to get over the line.
“It was brutal, especially when the rain came in. I made some solid pars to keep it going. I had a flier into a bush on 12 and made double bogey. The conditions were hard anyway, but even tougher when you’re trying to win a tournament.”
Orr battled back from bogeys on the first and third holes with a birdie on the second to make the turn one over. Strong winds meant for a testing back nine, but his birdie on the 18th saw him finish five over par on the day. Streeter, who whittled down Orr's lead, had a ten-foot putt for eagle on the par five 18th, but his effort shaved the hole and he was forced to settle for a two over par round of 73.
“My putt on the last was my best shot of the day,” added Orr. “It was a straight-forward putt. It was straight and uphill into the wind, it looked good half-way there and I just hoped it would stay on-line.
“It didn’t do my heart-rate much good when I saw Paul hit his second shot on 18 to ten feet. He really battled away today.
“I’m really pleased to get over the line, especially on a day like today. I’ve had a few good finishes recently and it was just a case of someone playing a little bit better.
“I’ve never won at home before. The best I’ve done before is third at the Scottish Open. It’s extra special to have my first win on this Tour be in Scotland.”
Markus Brier, Rafael Gomez, Phillip Price and David Shacklady finished in a share of third place on level par, while English duo Barry Lane and Gary Marks and Switzerland’s André Bossert share seventh on one over par.
