WATCHING THE BIRDIES
Motherwell’s Paul O’hara clinches PGA title in Dublin
Motherwell’s Paul O’hara battled howling wind to take the Titleist and Footjoy PGA Professional Championship and a £10,000 cheque in Dublin at the weekend.
O’hara fired a blitz of five birdies in six holes to blow away the competition and clinch victory at Luttrelstown Castle in Ireland.
Before doing so, O’hara had taken a while to get going, and looked to be suffering from the ill-effects of a doublebogey and a bogey on the back nine in the third round.
Those over-shots had resulted in his first over-par return of the tournament.
Sharing pole position with fellow Scot Christopher Currie and England’s Christopher Mcdonnell on one-under par, O’hara made a stuttering start.
Bogeys at the first two of the par threes appeared to have handed the initiative to a posse of high-class rivals, including his co-leaders and former European Tour players Phillip Archer, Andrew Raitt and Garry Houston.
That is, until the 30-year-old upped his game and moved into overdrive as the turn approached.
The last three holes of the front nine were birdied, respite followed at the 10th and the assault was then resumed with two more on the 11th and 12th.
Currie, who arrived at the seventh hole three shots clear of Currie, bogeyed the ninth and 10th and, with the rest of the challengers seemingly becalmed, all O’hara needed to do was hold his nerve – which he did, admirably.
Not that O’hara is without practice, having made his first appearance in the PGA’S flagship tournament buoyed by victory in the Northern Open.
“I won last week in Scotland as well,” said O’hara, who posted a two under-par round of 70 to be three-under for the tournament, “so that was back to back wins. I’m very pleased with that.
“I played well after a bad start and the birdies won it for me.
“Chris was a couple under and I took a while to get going, but once I holed a couple of putts for birdies that was it. After that it was a case of going for two-putt pars.”
That is until the last when, cushioned by a two-stroke lead over Currie, O’hara could afford the luxury of a three-putt to claim the trophy and the £10,000 winner’s cheque.
Runner-up Currie was one shot adrift of O’hara but £6000 richer for the experience, and he has no complaints about the outcome.
“It wasn’t my best ball striking week, it was more of a grind, to be honest,” he admitted.
“I had a good putting week and drove the ball well, keeping it in play.
“It was a very difficult golf course that doesn’t really give you much.
“You’ve just got to hang in there and grind away, but it was a pleasing week and Paul O’hara is a worthy winner.”