Scott Jamieson ended a 14-year wait to record his second victory on Europe’s top tier tour after the 42-year-old Scot won the Nexo Championship held on native soil at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.
A final round of 67 saw Jamieson reach 11 under par on the testing Scottish links and finish two strokes clear of England’s Matthew Jordan.
Jamieson, who began the day three shots back from overnight leader Shaun Norris, quickly made up ground on Sunday, carding three birdies across his opening nine holes.
PENALTY RULING
A two-stroke penalty for Norris after was adjudged to have moved a loose impediment in the shape of a misplaced divot – saw the Scot take the outright lead around the turn, before he opened his back nine with a further two gains.
Jamieson’s only bogey of the day came at the 13th, but a birdie on the next hole saw him reinstate his lead, before a dropped shot from Jordan at the 17th saw the home hope pull three shots clear.
A safe par at the last meant the dream of victory on home soil became a reality, the win coming 5,005 days after his maiden title at the Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa all the way back in 2012.
TOIL ENDS ON HOME SOIL
“It’s been a long time since my last win, so to do it here in Scotland is extra special,” said the winner, who picked up a first place prize of €435,000. “I’ve managed to keep my card for 16 years now. Every year, you’re always working towards something, and hopefully all those little things add up to wins every so often, so I’m delighted that it happened this week.
He added: “The grind’s worse than trying to win – trying to win is enjoyable. I was nervous coming down the stretch. I was fine up until I went three ahead through 11, and didn’t hit a great tee shot on the next.
“I just had a little word with myself and said: ‘come on, there’s still a long way to go’. Nothing is guaranteed at that point, but everyone else is nervous too – you just have to try your best.”
The result sees Jamieson leap from 135th to 42nd on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings, and secure his DP World Tour card for two more years, a fact that was not lost on him.
“I was starting to get to the business end of the season and didn’t have a lot of points on the board, so to win and get a couple years of free golf is nice,” he said.
Jordan’s birdie at the last saw him finish at nine under par for the week, and claim outright second, while South African Norris was a further two shots back in third.
Meanwhile, Richard Mansell produced the best round of the day to set a new course record at Trump International Golf Links. The Englishman’s seven under 65 saw him claim a $10,000 prize for setting a new low score at the course, and finish in a share of seventh.
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