2019 champion Paul O’Hara is in pole position to reclaim the Loch Lomond Whiskies Scottish PGA Championship title with a two-stroke lead going into the final round.
The 35-year-old, runner-up in three successive years before he won at Downfield three years ago, shot a four-under 67 at West Kilbride for a 15-under total, two ahead of Sam Kiloh.
The Deeside pro turned out to be the nearest challenger to O’Hara with a third round burst. But a key bogey from Kiloh at the penultimate hole gave the leader more breathing space heading into the final day.
The dominant force on the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour in recent times, O’Hara has had his issues with national titles – he was three times a beaten finalist in the Scottish Amateur.
But that’s given him perspective about his golf which should serve him well on this final day.
“There are more things to worry about than golf so I don’t beat myself up too much on the course,” he said.
“You’ll not do yourself any favours if you let the game get to you. If I have a bad hole I just forget about it and bounce back. That attitude really helps.”
He bided his time as halfway co-leader Alastair Forsyth fell away, reaching the turn in three under. While Kiloh surged with five birdies in six holes, O’Hara stayed steady and his birdie at 16 established the two-shot advantage.
The Lanarkshire man has just two bogeys in 54 holes.
‘I’m playing smart golf’
After 3 rounds at the @LochLomondMalts Scottish PGA Championship, @pohara61 has a two shot lead on -15 par
Come along tomorrow and watch the final round at @theWKGC, with the opening tee shots at 8:00am and the leaders teeing off at 10:50am#tartantour #pgascotland pic.twitter.com/zyxSVM2cqd
— PGAScotland (@PGAScotland) September 1, 2022
“I’m playing smart golf and just trying to play it into the same spots each day,” he added. “On this course, it’s about giving yourself that second shot.
“You can get yourself into bother in the wee sneaky bunkers but I’ve managed to plot a nice way round.
“The leaderboard is still quite bunched and I know the others boys will come out firing on the last day. But I’ve got good experiences to fall back on when I’m in this position.”
Kiloh nearly pulled to within a shot but saw his birdie putt at 18 die in the jaws. The 67 gives him a chance from what’s been a fractured season due to other commitments.
“I’ve only played four or five events this year due to family and the fact I’m busy with my PGA training,” said the 27-year-old. “It’s a wee bit of a surprise to see my name near the top but, at the same time, I knew my game was in good shape.”
Kiloh’s par save on 14 was crucial. “I lost my first drive in a bush, then put my next one over the wall from where I flopped it into the hole from 30 yards,” he explained. “It was a nice surprise to walk round and see it had gone in.”
One of Kiloh’s mentors, Paul Lawrie, won the Scottish PGA title twice.
“Paul’s been really good to me over the years, especially when I was in his Foundation,” added Kiloh. “It would be great to follow in his footsteps.”
Forsyth rallied after a tough start with a brace of birdies to stay in the hunt at 12-under. Craig Lee, last year’s runner-up, slithered back to nine-under after a one-over 72.