Fifer Derek Paton wins closely-contested Scottish Senior Open at Stirling

In a keenly-contested event, he won by a shot from three players - fellow Scots Paul Moultrie and Alan Hogg, as well as Englishman Richard Jones.

Paton had left himself with a mountain to climb after opening 77, but he’d hauled himself back into the reckoning with a courageous 68 in Thursday’s second circuit. In then finishing off the job, he added this over-50s’ title to his win in the Irish equivalent in 2021.

“I think having that 77 on the first day basically calmed me down,” said the new Scottish champion. [I thought] things can’t get any worse, they can only get better from here.

“So I relaxed yesterday and then today I started really well (he was three under through five holes).,

There were a couple of little blips but I managed to hang on and I was surprisingly quite calm. I think my experience a couple of years ago of winning the Irish Senior Men's Amateur Open Championship helped a lot.”

In cloudy and, at times, rainy conditions, Royal Troon’s Moultrie and St Andrews member Hogg had to settle for a share of second spot as they closed with 70s, as did Jones.

Hogg, who is the chief executive at Kingsbarns Golf Links, led on four-under at the turn, having picked up four shots in the opening seven holes. But the reinstated amateur’s hopes of a dream win were dashed by bogeys at the 10th and 13th.

Moultrie, in contrast, covered the last three holes in two under as he made a late push to land the title.

Erskine’s Ronnie Clark, the defending champion and newly-crowned English Senior Open champion, closed with a 69 to secure a share of fifth spot.

American Michael Mercier landed an over-65s’ prize after closing with a 72 for a six-over aggregate.

“The course conditions were great,” said Paton. “Excellent greens and the fairways were great and the whole course was set up perfectly.”

Saluting recent successes by Scots in the over-50s game, he added: “The seniors, to be fair, are flying the flag. We won the Senior Home Internationals last year and it’s good to see the seniors are doing so well.”

Meanwhile, South African Christo Lamprecht and Ronan Kleu from Switzerland will meet in Saturday’s final of The 128th Amateur Championship at Hillside.

Lamprecht, 22, won the last three holes – helped by an eagle at the 17th – for a dramatic one-hole semi-final success against English teenager Frank Kennedy.

The highest-ranked player in the field, at sixth on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, will now aim to become the third South African to win The Amateur in the last six years.

Kleu won a one-sided semi-final against 16-year-old TK Chantananuwat from Thailand after easing to a superb 8&6 success.