The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Dixon game of patience pays off with narrow win
Golf: Englishman edges out Gray in Scottish Par 3 Championship
Englishman David Dixon’s patience paid off as he came from two shots behind to claim a one-stroke victory at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Par 3 Championship.
Dixon shot a threeunder-par 51 for a tournament three under 105 at Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, Aberdeen, to pip overnight leader, Lanark’s Stephen Gray, to win the £3,750 first prize.
Gray was two strokes clear at the turn and seemingly on course for victory but birdies at 11 and 13 from Dixon levelled the match.
Gray regained the lead with a birdie at 14 but another birdie from Dixon at 16 squared matters once more.
The turning point came at the penultimate hole when Gray dropped a shot and his hopes of forcing a play-off were dashed when his putt for par lipped out from three feet.
The 41-year-old said: “That was a nice way for things to turn out for me. I’m well chuffed about that as I’ve had a really good few days.
“I was about to say ‘good putt’ to Stevie when it did a horrible horseshoe. It wasn’t a nice way for him What a difference a day made for Ellon golfer Michele Thomson.
The Ladies European Tour golfer improved 10 shots on her first-round score in the Scottish Par 3 Championship with a second round of one-over-par 55 to finish 12-over for the to finish after playing so well.
“I got ahead for the first time after he missed a putt to bogey the 17 th.
“I was actually more focused on the team event as my partner and I were trying to pull off one of the greatest comebacks of all time in that.”
The 2001 Open silver medallist, who is on the reserve list for the Scottish Challenge at Spey Valley on Thursday, hopes he can carry his form of the last two days into the Challenge Tour event in the Highlands.
He said: “My putter was behaving unbelievably tournament at Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, Aberdeen.
Despite enduring the most testing of conditions in the first round, she believes her display yesterday was every bit as good as the first round.
She said: “The two scores tell you everything about the difference between the two days here. Yesterday good out there, so if can take that into Aviemore next week, then that would be good.
“I’m heading back home for the weekend to spend some time with my youngsters, especially as it’s Father’s Day on Sunday then will head back up raring to go next week.”
Gray, who finished two-under on 105, could was tough but I felt as if I hit the ball just as well. I was just unlucky at times. When you are slightly off line here you are in the mulch.”
The damage was done on day one but Thomson was pleased to have the chance to learn from 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell, who was her playing scarcely believe his putt for a play-off did not drop.
He said: “I thought it was in and started just walking to it but it horseshoed out. It’s one of those things in golf. I’d played pretty well and it was a nip and tuck all the way.
“I holed something like an 80 footer on the fifth (his 14th) to get me back to four-under. partner in yesterday’s second round.
The Scot has little time to reflect on her round, however, as she flies out to Thailand today to compete in the Ladies European Thailand Championship at Phoenix Golf and Country Club next week.
Thomson, who will
“But on the eighth (17 th). I had a wee nestly lie and it came out soft and left me 10ft short and that was the bogey.”
Craig Lawrie finished third, while Dunblane’s Heather MacRae, now based in Portugal, was the leading woman in the field, finishing on five-over 113 following her secondround 57. be joined in Thailand by Nairn’s Kelsey MacDonald and Amy Boulden, who also played at Paul Lawrie Golf Centre yesterday, said: “It was great to be able to play a round with Michael and it’s nice to be able to say I shot the same score as a former major winner.
“I’ve never seen him play before in the flesh and it was really good. Any time you get the chance to spend some time with a major champion is a positive and I felt as if I got a lot out of our couple of hours on the course.
“He was really nice and really positive, so, hopefully, I can carry this experience into Thailand next week.”