THE EAGLE HAS LANDED...
Kelly makes it a hat-trick at Scottish PGA
CHRIS KELLY served up a triple scotch at Gleneagles yesterday as the Glasgow ace won the M&H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship over the King’s course.
The 40-year-old, who won the national title in 2003 and 2015, completed his hat-trick of wins in the Tartan Tour’s flagship after easing to a six-shot victory with a 13-under aggregate of 197.
Kelly, who led by five overnight, closed with a three-under 67 and finished well ahead of Paul O’Hara, Greg McBain and Bishopbriggs veteran Robert Arnott, who hit a 64.
Kelly’s success was the largest winning margin in the Championship since he won this title for the first time by seven shots over the neighbouring PGA Centenary course 14 years ago.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing. Playing partner O’Hara managed to stir up a little dose of the heebie-jeebies when he reduced the leeway to just two shots on the back nine. It was only a temporary scare, though, and Kelly coasted home to pick up the £9500 first prize as he joined the likes of Sam Torrance, Bernard Gallacher, John Panton and Eric Brown in a glittering group of players who have won the national crown three times or more.
Kelly said: “Any win is nice and I’m just as delighted with this win as I was with my first in 2003 and my second in 2015.”
Kelly had been seven ahead after seven holes of his final round, but O’Hara kept chipping away and, having birdied 11 and 12, he got to within two shots when he picked up another shot on the 14th after Kelly had made a bogey on the 13th. “All of a sudden it’s two and I’m thinking ‘oh no, here we go’,” Kelly admitted.
With O’Hara now forcing Kelly to peer anxiously over his shoulder, the leader tempered the growing apprehension by plonking a 6-iron into the 15th to two feet and making birdie. “That was crucial,” he added.
Kelly swiftly tightened his grip on the 16th with a 8-iron into a few feet for another birdie as O’Hara stumbled home with a couple of bogeys which halted his advances.