PETER WHITEFORD WINS CHALLENGE TOUR
EVENT IN HOLLAND BY TWO STROKES

From Michael Gibbons
Press Officer, European Challenge Tour

Peter Whiteford overcame a nerve-shredding final round to secure the first European Challenge Tour victory of his career and set up a golden opportunity to win a place on next year's European Tour with victory at the Dutch Futures tournament in Holland today.
The Kirkcaldy professional, nine shots ahead of the field after a briliant third-round 63, resisted a final-round charge from Frenchman François Delamontagne to close out a two-stroke victory at the Golfclub Houtrak on the outskirts of Amsterdam with a fourth round 73 for a 13 under par 275 winning total.
Whiteford’s win, worth 22,400 Euros, propelled the 27 year old to 26th place on the Challenge Tour Rankings with four events of the season remaining. He is now looking to break into the all important top 20 before the 2007 schedule is complete to win a potentially priceless place on the 2008 European Tour.
“Obviously I am delighted to have won,” said Whiteford, who boosted his season’s earnings to 43,369 Euros. “The nerves were definitely there today – especially when I looked round and saw François was only two behind me. I actually couldn’t believe it, and you can’t help but thinking that you could lose a nine-shot lead and have the biggest collapse in history.
“But I managed to finish it off. It was a strange day because I spent most of it just trying not to make double bogeys and the focus is so much different. I have a great chance to get my European Tour card now. There is a bit of work to do, but I am playing well and if I can make another 10,000 Euros over the next month I could be on Tour.”
Whiteford’s victory was, in the most part, down to his stunning third round at the Golfclub Houtrak when, amidst incessant driving rain and gusting winds on Saturday, the former Scotland boy international, put on an peerless performance to card a quite astonishing score of nine under par 63 and open up a nine stroke lead going into the final round.
The fact that only two other players in the field broke 70 on Saturday – Englishman Adam Gee fired a 68 and Italy’s Alessio Bruschi a 69 – said everything for the special nature of Whiteford’s third round performance.
If Saturday was Whiteford’s finest performance on a golf course, today’s was his most nerve wracking. Acutely aware that losing a nine stroke lead would not exactly boost his confidence, Whiteford warely bogeyed the first hole of the fourth round but made immediate amends with a birdie on the second.
The nerves were definitely playing their part though, and the Scot dropped another two strokes to turn in two over 38. Looking over his shoulder, Whiteford could not miss the rampaging Delamontagne charging to the turn in just 31 strokes.
Subsequent birdies on the 10th and 11th took the Frenchman to within two strokes of Whiteford, but, to his credit, the Scot dug deep and finished the job, playing his last five holes in one under, including a birdie 4 on the 18th.
Richie Ramsay had a very good final round of 67 to lift himself up into a final position of joint 11th on 284, which earned him 2730 Euros.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4 x 72)
275 P Whiteford (Sco) 69 70 63 73 (22,400 Euros).
277 F Delamontagne (Fra) 70 70 73 64 (15,400 Euros).
278 J-A Larsen (Nor) 70 74 70 64, M Lundberg (Swe) 70 71 73 64 (9,100 Euros each).
279 A Gee (Eng) 74 69 68 69 (7,000 Euros).
Other Scots scores:
284 R Ramsay 76 70 71 67 (jt 11th) (2,730 Euros).
286 R Russell 72 72 73 69 (jt 18th) (1,506 Euros).
290 E Little 70 70 72 72 (jt 33rd) (994 Euros).
292 A Hay 72 71 76 73 (jt 43rd) (770 Euros).
293 D Patrick 75 72 76 70 (jt 45th) (686 Euros).
295 G Murray 73 72 76 74 (jt 51st) (539 Euros).
296 A Oldcorn 72 75 77 72 (jt 55th) (497 Euros).
299 D Drysdale 76 71 77 75 (jt 62nd) (399 Euros).
MISSED THE CUT
148 S Henderson 77 71.
149 E Ramsay 75 74.
150 J McLeary 81 69.