A stunning final round of seven-under-par 63 saw Blairgowrie’s Connor Graham crowned Scottish Men’s Open Champion at Meldrum House in Aberdeenshire.
Graham finished four shots clear of South African Altin Van Der Merwe who carded a closing 66 to finish 11-under-par.
But there was no stopping Graham whose round included seven birdies and an eagle as well as two bogeys as he finished on 15-under-par for the championship.
Englishman Zachary Chegwidden finished third on eight under after rounds of 65, 72, 67 and 68.
Graham is the first Scottish winner of the event since Dumfries’ Liam Johnston triumphed in 2017.
Previous winners of the event include Colin Montgomerie, Stephen Gallacher, Richie Ramsay, Tommy Fleetwood and Bernard Gallacher.
Graham said: “It feels great. This is the first big amateur win and it was great to play as well as I did.
“A key highlight was shooting that 63 to finish, I played really good from start to finish.
“During the tournament it took a lot of patience and a lot of good shots. I definitely hit my irons and wedges well this week.
“Meldrum House has been a fantastic golf course, they’ve got it set up really nicely.
“It feels really good to be the first Scottish champion in a few years.”
Our 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Champion,
Connor Graham!🏆🏴
Results from @themeldrum 👉 https://t.co/v8g0silMVe#ScottishMensOpen2023 pic.twitter.com/ECfTrEkORR
— Scottish Golf (@ScottishGolf) June 4, 2023
Runner-up Van Der Merwe said: “I’ve really enjoyed the course. I was slightly unlucky the wind wasn’t up as I like playing in the wind, but it was still great.
“My short game was really on point this week, I was hitting it straight and solid.
“We have maybe two courses in South Africa that are this good, this is the standard here – these guys are playing on this every day, and for us it’s an absolute dream to come and play here.”
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