Sean Lawrie held his nerve before a sparkling finish gave him a one-shot victory at the Farmfoods Scottish Par 3 Championship.
The 26 year-old, who is attached to the host venue, the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, looked to have faded after a dropping three shots in two holes but a stunning four-birdie run was enough to pip first round leader Sam Locke to the title as Lawrie finished seven-under-par.
Last year’s winner, Englishman David Dixon, emerged as Locke’s main challenger at the turn with the duo tied for the lead on seven-under with Lawrie two shots behind but the final nine holes proved pivotal.
Locke dropped one shot at the 13th and that was enough as he finished level for the round and six-under overall while Dixon, who had rattled off five birdies in his first nine holes to earn a share of the lead, faltered with two dropped shots after the turn.
That allowed Lawrie, who was one-under after birdies at his opening two holes and a bogey at the sixth, to claim victory in dramatic fashion.
The champion, nephew of tournament host and former Open champion Paul Lawrie, said: “My round had a bit of everything. I got off to a good start but it went a bit flat and I had a double bogey at the 12th and then a bogey at the 13th and from there I thought to myself ‘I’m going to have to go some here’ and thankfully I did by making four birdies towards the end which was the catalyst for the win.
“I suppose I felt as the pressure was off after the 13th but I also knew I had been playing well and my putting had been good and if I remained patient and gave myself chances I could get back into it and thankfully I did.
“It has been a great couple of days. I played with my cousin Michael and it’s such a good mix of European Tour, Challenge Tour, EuroPro Tour, Seniors Tour, Ladies Tour players in the field. It has been a great event.”
Lawrie hopes he can use his victory at Paul Lawrie Golf Centre as a catalyst for the summer, starting with next week’s trip to Bradford-on-Avon for the Diamond X Open at Cumebrwell Park Golf Club.
He said: “I’m off to the EuroPro Tour next week then I’ve got Open qualifying the week after that. I’ve got a six-week stretch of golf ahead of me so it’s nice to go into a busy run with win under my belt and this means I can go into those events with a bit of confidence.”
