Tag: Fairmont St. Andrews

Adrian Otaegui earns unique win at Scottish Championship for third European Tour title

Adrian Otaegui earned a unique win at the Scottish Championship at Fairmont St. Andrews for his third European Tour title.

Adrian Otaegui is no stranger to winning golf tournaments.

The 27-year-old Spaniard now has three titles on the European Tour after Sunday’s Scottish Championship victory. What makes this one at Fairmont St. Andrews unique? It’s Otaegui’s first 72-hole stroke play win.

His previous triumphs on the European Tour came in 2017 at the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play and the 2018 Belgian Knockout.

“Stroke play is my favorite way of golf, I think it’s the proper way,” said Otaegui despite a stellar match play record. “You have to play very solidly and very consistently all four rounds, which I think I did. I’m very happy to be able to win stroke play as well, my third win on the European Tour.”

Scottish Championship: Leaderboard

Otaegui began the tournament with a 62 on Thursday and ended his title pursuit with a Sunday 63, overcoming a four-shot deficit thanks to eight birdies over an 11-hole stretch to finish atop the leaderboard at 23 under, four shots ahead of 54-hole leader Matt Wallace (-19).

“I had no expectations this morning, really. I just wanted to go out there, play well and shoot as well as possible. I mean, if you told me I was going to shoot 63 this morning, I wouldn’t believe it,” added Otaegui. “Everything went well, I played very well, I felt very well, I was very focused and I holed some good putts. It’s been a very good week and especially today was a very good day to finish that week.”

“I feel so happy. To be able to win in Scotland, especially here in St. Andrews, the home of golf, it means a lot to me.”

Aaron Rai finished third at 17 under, with Chris Paisley and Garrick Porteous T-4 at 16 under.

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Euro Tour: Matt Wallace takes three-shot lead at Scottish Championship

Matt Wallace scored a third-round 66 at the European Tour’s Scottish Championship. He has a 3-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round.

Matt Wallace hasn’t won on the European Tour for over two years. On Saturday, he put himself in position to end that streak.

Wallace took charge of the Scottish Championship with a third-round 66 at Fairmont St. Andrews in Scotland. The highlight of the Englishman’s day came at the relatively short par-4 seventh, where he placed his tee shot within 25 feet of the hole. He proceeded to curl in the ensuing eagle putt.

Wallace finds himself at 18-under par, three shots ahead of the field going into Sunday’s final round. He was bogey-free, and two of his four birdies came on the last two holes. The 30-year old danced for the cameras and shouted out to his coach Graham Walker after sinking a chip shot for birdie on No. 17 from a bunker.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” Wallace said about his performance. “Especially at the end there, you know, to finish the way I did was really nice. It’s probably the best I’ve ever handled myself, you know? I stayed really patient, and it showed there by the end.”

Second place currently belongs to another Englishman, Garrick Porteous. Like Wallace, Porteous is 30, but has only one career Euro Tour title to Wallace’s four. Porteous exploded out of the gates with five birdies on the front nine, but slowed down on the back nine with just two birdies and a bogey.

“You can get it going on the front nine,” said Porteous, who sits at 15 under. “Off the tee, it was just in play all the time, which gave myself obviously enough chances to get close to the pins and then I was rolling it really well. Holing a lot of putts, which is nice.”

Adrian Otaegui, 27, is in third and might be feeling fortunate to be there. The Spaniard lit it up in St. Andrews with a stellar opening-round 62 (10 birdies, no bogeys), but came back down to Earth with consecutive 70s in the next two rounds. Otaegui’s Saturday was nothing special, with four birdies and two bogeys, but at 14 under, he has the chance to make a run at Wallace and Porteous.

Rounding out the top four is American Sean Crocker. The 24-year old put in a Jekyll and Hyde-esque performance: he eagled the seventh and carded seven birdies, but had four bogeys to go with them. He is one back of Otaegui at 13 under.

The final round of the Scottish Championship takes place on Sunday. Golf Channel’s coverage will run from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET.

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