RICHIE Ramsay clinched his second European Challenge Tour victory with a final round four-under-par 68 at the AGF-Allianz Golf Open Grand Toulouse.
The Scot finished on 19-under-par 269, two shots clear of runner up Richard McEvoy, of England, who closed with a 67 at the Golf de Toulouse course in Seilh, France.
The 25-year-old, who became the first Scot to win the US Amateur Championship i
n over 100 years in 2006, posted six birdies before dropping a shot on the 13th hole, although he immediately recovered that shot on the 14th.
He then bogeyed the 16th to set up a nervous ending, but the man from Aberdeen produced one of the best shots of his fledgling professional career on the last, firing his 5-iron approach over the water to stop 15 feet from the pin and give himself two putts for victory.
Ultimately, though, it was his course-record equalling 64 in the third round that gave him his second Challenge Tour title, following his victory at the Vodafone Challenge in Germany in August.
He said: "I'm over the moon with this win because all of my hard work has paid off. It's great to win from the front. I just had the confidence to go out there and win. I played lovely and hit some great shots.
"The approach on the last was difficult and it was probably the best shot of my professional career. That was the defining moment coming down the last with a two-shot lead.
"I believed in myself before I went out. You've got to learn to win mentally and I did it as an amateur and I'm relearning as a professional. Padraig Harrington says you have got to give yourself a chance on the back nine and that's where you win, it and he is right."
The 22,400 first prize moves Ramsay up to sixth on the Challenge Tour Rankings with 103,245 and assures him playing privileges on the European Tour for 2009 with just two tournaments remaining of the current Challenge Tour campaign.
"The win is great, but the main thing has always been to get my card and I now need to make sure I'm in the top ten to get the best ranking."
McEvoy posted five birdies – all of them on the front nine – to put the pressure on the Scot, but he could not pick up any more shots on the way in and had to settle for second place, with Erik Tage Johansen of Norway third on 15 under par.
Meanwhile, Craig Matheson powered to the head of the field after the opening round of the 36-hole Royal Dornoch Masters yesterday.
The Falkirk Tryst pro, who sits second on the Scottish young professionals' order of merit, fired a four-under 66 to open up a one-shot lead over James McGhee of Turnhouse and Inchmarlo's Craig Dempster.
Archerfield's Lee Harper, runner-up in May's Northern Open, lurks in fourth spot on 68 while current young professionals' order of merit leader Greg McBain, second in last year's Royal Dornoch Masters, had to settle for a 73 over his home course.
The full article contains 541 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
