Three days lead sees Graham Crowned Scottish Men’s Open Champion at Meldrum
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Connor Graham (Blairgowrie) triumphed in nearly pristine conditions at Meldrum House to claim the title of 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Champion courtesy of a tremendous final round of 63.
Round 1 saw the Graham brothers Connor and Gregor dominate the leaderboard, with Gregor off the blocks particularly strongly, carding 65 (-5).
For much of Saturday (Round 2 and 3), it was Connor Graham who retained the lead, posting 68 (one ahead of Altin Van Der Merwe from South Africa) in a round that saw four birdies.
Heading into Sunday’s final 36 holes after the cut, there was a three-way tie for 1st between brothers Connor and Gregor Graham (Blairgowrie) and Van Der Merwe.
The weather was on order all weekend as the stunning parkland course was bathed in sunlight and players enjoyed warm and sunny conditions throughout the weekend.
Connor made a storming start to his final round, holing five birdies on the front nine alone.
He continued to power on during the back nine, shooting an eagle on the 11th and a birdies on the 16th and 17th to claim victory.
Speaking at the trophy presentation, a delighted Connor Graham said: "It feels great – this is the first big amateur win, great to play as well as I did.
"A key highlight was shooting that 63 to finish, I played really good from start to finish.
"During the tournament it’s taken a lot of patience, a lot of good shots – that’s my approach to the course. I definitely hit my irons and wedges well this week."
Responding to the strength of the field and the quality of the course, he continued: "Meldrum has been a fantastic golf course, they’ve got it set up really nicely.
"First Scottish Champion in a few years, it feels really good.
"Work hard, put in the hours and eventually you’ll be competing at top level.
Runner-up Altin Van Der Merwe from South Africa will also be proud of his efforts throughout the weekend. He posted scores of 68, 66, 69 and 66 which – on any other day – may well have been enough.
"All round I’ve really enjoyed the course, a links course – I was slightly unlucky the wind wasn’t up – I like playing in the wind, but it was still great," he said.
"My short game was really on point this week, was hitting it straight and solid."
On his golfing journey to date, he added: "I’m 26 right now, and it’s been seven or eight years of hard work just getting through the gates.
"And coming here and experiencing the cut at 40 and ties, we South African’s aren’t used to, it was tough out there to just keep the ball straight, keep it in play and play solid from there.
"We have maybe two courses in South Africa that are this good, this is the standard here – these guys are playing on this every day, and for us it’s an absolute dream to come and play here."
In third place was England’s Zachary Chegwidden.
He had a brilliant opening round, with six birdies and a score of 65. His last round saw him come in at -8, after scores of 65, 72, 67 and 68.
