SIZZLING OT
Spaniard shoots stunning 63 to claim inaugural Scottish Championship
ADRIAN OTAEGUI was delighted to follow in the footsteps of his homeland hero Seve Ballesteros by becoming the third Spaniard to win on Scottish soil.
The San Sebastian golfer stormed to a four-shot success in the inaugural Scottish Championship at the Fairmont to the east of St Andrews.
The 27-year-old brilliantly muscled his way from four shots back to win with a nine-under 63 and a 23-under 265 victory total on the Torrance course.
Having shot a first-round 62, under a “four-day preferred lie” rule, and then after a pair of 70s, Otaegui went into day four trailing the lead by four shots to win by the same margin. Overall, he grabbed 29 birdies and dropped just six strokes.
Ten years ago Otaegui won the 2010 British Boys Amateur title over the Barassie and Dundonald Links courses.
Now he’s won a first strokeplay success in Scotland for a third pro career win after victories in the 2017 Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match-Play in Germany and also the 2018 Belgium Knockout.
He now joins good friend Rafael Cabrera-Bello, winner of the 2018 Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, and the late Ballesteros, who won the 1984 Open on the nearby Old Course at St Andrews, as a Spanish-born Tour winner in Scotland
Otaegui said: “Everything was on my side and I feel very lucky and proud to have won here in Scotland.
“I am also now in very good company with Seve probably being one of the best golfers I have seen and Rafa who is a great friend of mine. I am clearly in great company.
“I feel so happy to be able to win in Scotland and especially here in the town of St Andrews – the Home of Golf – and it really means a lot to me.”
Matt Wallace was a bitterly disappointed runner- up, shooting a 71 for a 19-under tally. The Englishman went into the final round enjoying a threeshot lead but all the dancing for joy in front of TV cameras when he birdied the closing two holes on Saturday turned to despair on the final day.
The four-time Tour winner bogeyed his opening hole and while he birdied the fourth, a three-hole run from the eighth of bogey, birdie and bogey saw Wallace heading to the 11th tee one behind Otaegui. From there it was all the Spaniard.
He added: “I’m very happy the way I played all week. I got off to a very solid start in the first round and then just played very consistent. I felt great.
“I was enjoying it very much.
I was trying to keep my focus and trying to finish it in good style as well. I was four shots back before the first tee so it was a difficult one to bring back.”
Recently crowned Scottish Open champion Aaron Rai shot a final-day 66 to finish third on 17 under.
Glaswegian Ewen Ferguson finished the leading Scot and secured his third top-20 result in his 12 events since the lifting of lockdown.
The 24-year-old grabbed a seventh hole eagle two along with five birdies, including a gem at the last. There was also a double-bogey at No.4 in his closing 67 for an 11-under total and a share of 16th place. He praised his coach, Gregor Monks, the head pro at the Dullatur in Craigmarloch.
Ferguson said: “I was quite happy as the work with my coach at home paid off this week.
“I knew I could play and I’ve done it before, so it was just breaking down the barrier of doing it once, getting some confidence and starting to feel a bit more comfortable playing with good players.”
Marc Warren and Calum Hill were next best Scots. Warren grabbed three birdies over his closing four holes in a round of 70 and Hill capped his round with a sixth-hole eagle in a 70 for the pair to finish at 10 under.