Peter Latimer is Local Hero winner (by seven strokes)

of Solarsport East of Scotland Open

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Peter Latimer, a 22-year-old who has been a member of the host club for a decade, proved a popular winner of the Solarsport East of Scotland Open over a fast-running Lundin links yesterday.
A brace of 66s in the final two rounds gave Latimer, who lives in Markinch but has spent the last four years at college in America, a 14-under-par aggregate of 270 and a seven-shot victory in the Scottish order of merit event.
The success came two years after Latimer had lost in a play-off to Australian Rohan Blizzard in the same tournament and, even though his home club is now St Andrews New, he admitted the biggest win of his career couldn't have come at a better place.
"I've been a member at Lundin since I was 12 and to record such a win here is fantastic," said Latimer, who feels his game has come on enormously, thanks to his spell at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.
 "I was off one (of a handicap) when I went and wasn't even good enough to get into an event like this," he added.
Five behind at the halfway stage, Latimer, a quarter-finalist in last year's Scottish amateur championship at Royal Troon and who had secured top-ten finishes in both the Scottish Stroke Play and Tennant Cup since returning from the US, was still three shots off the pace going into the final round, which he started with a double-bogey after duffing his second from a divot into a bunker.
He also dropped two shots later in the round at the 12th but eight birdies and an eagle – he drove the 17th and holed from six feet – secured a sweet success.
"I thought I had blown it after my double-bogey at the 12th but something obviously happened (in the groups] behind," said Latimer. It did indeed.
Leven Golfing Society's Brian Soutar, who had led the event since an opening 64 before adding scores of 69 and 68, saw his hopes disappear after running up a quadruple-bogey 8 at the tenth, where he had both a penalty drop and a lost ball.
He eventually signed for a costly 79 to finish fourth on 280 as another Fifer, Aberdour's Scott Crichton, claimed second spot after a closing 72.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
1 Peter Latimer St Andrews New 72 70 68 66 66 270
2 Scott Crichton Aberdour 72 66 68 71 72 277
3 Graeme Robertson Glenbervie 72 76 67 65 70 278
4 Cameron Mitchell Lundin  72 71 72 69 68 280
4= Brian Soutar Leven Golfing Society 72 64 69 68 79 280
6 Jordan McColl Scotscraig 72 71 71 69 70 281
6= Alexander Culverwell Dunbar 72 74 68 72 67 281
6= Jordan Findlay Fraserburgh 72 70 74 71 66 281
9 Hao Sheng Hsu Haddington 72 76 69 70 67 282
9= James White Lundin 72 65 73 72 72 282
11 Fraser McKenna Balmore  72 70 75 71 68 284
11= Andrew Weir Montrose Mercantile L 72 75 67 72 70 284
11= Gordon Yates Hilton Park L 72 73 71 71 69 284
14 Scott Larkin Royal Aberdeen +1 72 70 72 74 69 285
14= Nick Barr Craigie Hill +1 72 67 70 76 72 285
16 Paul Betty Hayston +2 72 74 70 72 70 286
16= Glenn Campbell Blairgowrie +2 72 68 74 71 73 286
16= Ronnie Clark Erskine +2 72 71 71 72 72 286
16= Daniel Young Craigie Hill +2 72 73 68 72 73 286
20 Michael Daily Erskine +3 72 71 66 75 75 287
20= Mark Bookless Sandyhills +3 72 72 73 76 66 287
20= Fraser Fotheringham Nairn +3 72 70 69 70 78 287
23 Kris Harper Carnoustie +4 72 68 70 74 76 288
24 Joshua Seale South Africa +5 72 70 70 76 73 289
24= Chris Lawton Falkirk Tryst +5 72 72 71 72 74 289
26 Matt Dowling Australia +6 72 74 71 70 75 290

27 Greg Nicolson Mortonhall +7 72 73 72 75 71 291

27= Chris Robb Inchmarlo +7 72 75 70 72 74 291

27= Ian Bell Scotscraig +7 72 68 73 70 80 291

27= Sam Binning Ranfurly Castle +7 72 69 73 79 70 291

31 Henry Featherstone Ringway +8 72 76 69 71 76 292

32 Alex Main Thornton +9 72 72 73 77 71 293

32= James Bunch Prestwick +9 72 72 73 74 74 293

32= Mathew Perry New Zealand +9 72 74 68 76 75 293

35 Aaron Sweeney Carnoustie +11 72 71 72 75 77 295
35= Chris Harkins Ayr Belleisle +11 72 73 71 74 77 295
37 Steven Rennie Drumpellier +12 72 76 69 82 69 296
38 Darren Gould Ladybank +13 72 74 71 72 80 297
39 John Wybar Aldeburgh +16 72 72 71 76 81 300
40 Lam Zhiqun Singapore +20 72 72 72 81 79 304
MISSED THE CUT
41 Sean McGarvey Glencorse +4 36 71 75
41= Grant McNab Lundin +4 36 74 72
41= Grant Carnie Newburgh-on-Ythan +4 36 80 66
41= Gregor Stewart Murcar Links +4 36 74 72
41= Paul Ferrier Baberton +4 36 71 75
41= David Simpson Crieff +4 36 75 71
47 Graham Robertson Silverknowes +5 36 73 74
47= Kevin Blyth Lundin +5 36 76 71
49 Liam McGowan Lundin +6 36 78 70
49= Scott Ritchie New Zealand +6 36 77 71
49= Robert Carson Dalmahoy +6 36 72 76
49= James Hendrick Pollok +6 36 77 71
53 Ross Crowe Westerhope +7 36 73 76
53= Adam Dunton McDonald +7 36 75 74
53= Ross Bell Downfield +7 36 75 74
56 Craig Watson East Renfrewshire +8 36 77 73
56= Scott Borrowman Dollar +8 36 74 76
56= Paul McPhee King James VI +8 36 78 72
59 Clark Riddick Southerness +9 36 74 77
59= Gary Tough Edzell +9 36 71 80
59= Matthew Clark Kilmacolm +9 36 76 75
59= Tom Hayes West Byfleet +9 36 81 70
63 Colin Thomson East Renfrewshire +10 36 76 76
63= Kyle McClung Wigtonshire County +10 36 77 75
65 Jonathan Brain USA +11 36 74 79
65= Ben Spoor USA +11 36 75 78
65= Andrew Wallace Glenbervie +11 36 75 78
68 Doug Pirie Lundin +13 36 77 78
69 Connor Neil Blairgowrie +14 36 80 76
69= Steven Meiklejohn Lundin +14 36 81 75
69= Stephen Speirs Swanston +14 36 79 77
72 Richard Docherty Bearsden +15 36 83 74
73 Richard Gill Craigmillar Park +16 36 81 77
74 Craig Steven King James VI +18 36 78 82
75 Joel Westwell Inchmarlow +20 36 83 79

WD Michael Thomson Lundin -139 72 68 77
WD George Brass Blairgowrie -63 36 79
WD Daniel Sommerville St Andrews -58 72 72 70 84
WD Jonathan Brain USA L 0
WD James Whitelaw Mouse Valley L 0