Scot lifts 32,000 Euros first prize at Macdonald Spey Valley

Murray wins Hydro Challenge by four strokes

By MICHAEL GIBBONS
Deputy Chief Press Officer, European Tour
A brilliant final hole birdie cemented George Murray’s first professional victory in his homeland at the Scottish Hydro Challenge after a superb final round performance at the Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course in Aviemore.

The 27 year old former Scottish amateur champion from Anstruther, Fife was a model of composure as he compiled an outstanding final round of five under par 66 to take the title and the 32,000 Euros first prize by four shots from Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson, with England’s Lee Slattery sharing third place with Norwegian Marius Thorp on ten under.

Another Scot, Chris Doak, shared fifth place with German Christoph Günther and England’s Matt Haines. Doak's financial reward was 8,133 Euros.

Murray, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, had began the final round with a three stroke lead over Carlsson and Thorp and managed to maintain a comfortable cushion between himself and the chasing pack throughout the afternoon.

After sinking a 15 foot birdie putt on the first, Murray settled into the final round perfectly. He dropped a shot on the fourth but roared ahead with a superb run of three consecutive birdies from the eighth to the tenth holes to set up his maiden win, despite late pressure from Carlsson’s back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes and another on the par five 17th.
Standing on the 18th tee, Murray held a two stroke advantage but he would end the tournament four clear as Carlsson could only bogey the last, giving Murray a chance to go for his 35 foot birdie attempt, which he duly accepted, much to the delight of the watching home crowd.
“It feels great to win my first tournament – doing it in Scotland, with my family and friends here supporting me just makes it all the more special,” said Murray. “I played great all week and I didn’t really feel too much pressure out there today.
“I kind of knew that Magnus was having a run but I tried not to pay too much attention to what anyone else was doing and looked after my own score.”
Murray’s first Challenge Tour victory saw beating his previous performances of second in the 2007 Lexus Open and tied second in the 2008 Vodafone Challenge saw him leap 41 places on the Rankings, from 45th to fourth.
That gives Murray a wonderful opportunity to win a place on The European Tour via the top 20 on the end of season Rankings.
“I think the aim now has to be to try and stay in the top five for the rest of the season. Winning will do a lot for my confidence – I have done it here against most of the best players on the Challenge Tour so there’s no reason to think that I can’t do it more often if I play to my abilities.”

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Martin Dempster
Less than two years after fearing his career could be over due to a serious back injury, George Murray was rewarded for listening to some sound advice from Stuart Barton, the former British Lions and Scotland physiotherapist, as he became the second successive home winner of the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Macdonald Spey Valley.
A closing 66, which followed three successive 67s over the course situated on the outskirts of Aviemore saw the 27-year-old from Anstruther succeed Jamie McLeary as champion, posting a 17-under total to claim the £26,500 first prize by four shots from Sweden's Magnus Carlsson, with Englishman Lee Slattery and Magnus Thorp from Norway a further three strokes back in joint-third.
Murray's first professional win lifted the 2004 Scottish Amateur champion 41 places into fourth on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit – the top 20 get cards for the European Tour – and also earned him a place in the field for the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles at the end of August.
"I'm delighted," said the winner, who revealed how close he'd come to having surgery 18 months ago in a bid to solve a worrying back problem. "I had a bulging disc and someone wanted to operate. However, Stuart Barton (who has a practice in Pitenweem] advised against it and he's been 100 per cent right. He said I should have a steroid injection into the disc and it's been great ever since."The operation might have been successful but if it had kept going the way it was I wouldn't have been playing, that's for sure. I was missing cut after cut spending lots of money and didn't know if I wanted to keep doing this any more. However, Ian Rae (his coach] also encouraged me to stick in and keep at it. I've been playing well ever since."
Murray's improved form has been borne out by his results. Earlier this season he finished third in the Madeira Island Open on the main circuit and, on the Challenge Tour, has only been outside the top 25 once in six starts. He'll be aiming to keep up the good work in this week's Saint-Omer Open when another good pay-day would help towards the house he's looking to buy in the Broughty Ferry area ahead of his marriage to Carrie, a physiotherapist at Ninewells Hospital, early next year.
On a wet day in Speyside, Murray started out with a three-shot cushion and showed from the off that he wasn't of a mind to go on the back foot.
While an iron had been the preferred weapon of choice on the first tee for many of those in the chasing pack, the Scot pulled out his driver and cracked an opening blow past a clump of trees on the right side of the fairway. That left him with a straightforward chip to the green and he holed from 15 feet for a birdie before Thorp followed him in from slightly closer.
Another positive drive gave Murray a good angle to attack the pin at the second but, after hitting a wedge to eight feet, he undercooked his putt to squander a golden chance, though his lead was up to four after Thorp found sand with his approach and failed to get up and down.
Both Murray and Thorp dropped shots at the par-3 fourth before the Scot produced a decisive burst by reeling off three successive birdies from the eighth. As the final round became a two-horse race, Carlsson, winner of the 2007 Challenge of Ireland, refused to throw in the towel and replied by picking up shots at the 12th and 13th before closing to within two shots of the lead with a birdie at the long 17th.
However, Murray finished with a flourish, holing from 30 feet for a birdie at the last, to a hearty cheer from his supporters surrounding the green. By contrast, Carlsson closed with a bogey – his only dropped shot in the last 28 holes – for a 67.
Greenock's Chris Doak closed with a 70 to share fifth spot on nine-under. He picked up a cheque for just over £6,700 and was delighted to hear he'd got into the field for Saint-Omer, even though he had to scuttle off and hastily make some travel arrangements to get to the French venue.
Two other Scots, Callum Macaulay and Lloyd Saltman, closed with a 67 and 68 respectively to finish in a tie for 11th on seven-under – their best performances of the season.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71). Yardage 7,100.
Prize money in Euros
267 G Murray (Sco) 67 67 67 66 (32,000).
271 M Carlsson (Swe) 65 70 69 67 (22,000).
274 L Slattery (Eng) 69 66 71 68; M Thorp (Nor) 66 71 67 70 (13,000 each).
275 M Haines (Eng) 68 72 66 69; C Doak (Sco) 67 70 68 70; C Günther (Ger) 67 68 72 68 (8,133 each).
276 M McGeady (Irl) 68 74 68 66; A Bernadet (Fra) 71 69 68 68; M Bliss (Can) 69 72 65 70 (4,933 each).
277 M Tullo (Chi) 66 70 69 72; F Calmels (Fra) 66 72 71 68; C Macaulay (Sco) 72 68 70 67; L Saltman (Sco) 72 67 70 68; A Willey (Eng) 73 68 66 70; N Cheetham (Eng) 71 71 69 66; C Russo (Fra) 66 71 74 66 (3,400 each).
278 B Grace (RSA) 72 69 66 71; I Van Weerelt (Ned) 67 71 70 70; N Lemke (Swe) 69 72 68 69 (2,433 each).
279 C Moriarty (Irl) 71 67 70 71; A Gee (Eng) 67 72 73 67; J McLeary (Sco) 71 68 68 72 (1,960 each).
280 A Mellor (Eng) 72 70 71 67; S Jamieson (Sco) 68 69 74 69; A Perrino (Ita) 69 69 73 69; L James (Eng) 67 71 68 74; C Brazillier (Fra) 70 71 73 66 (1,800 each).
281 J Zapata (Arg) 69 71 71 70; A Ahokas (Fin) 66 75 71 69; A Johnston (Eng) 71 71 69 70; J Grillon (Fra) 68 73 70 70 (1,620 each).
282 S Henry (Sco) 70 71 71 70; R Kind (Ned) 70 72 69 71; E Saltman (Sco) 69 73 68 72; S Davis (Eng) 70 69 74 69 (1,460 each).
283 J Caldwell (NIr) 68 72 72 71; C Smith (Wal) 70 70 70 73; M Cort (Eng) 66 73 72 72; P Del Grosso (Arg) 70 69 69 75; O Whiteley (Eng) 68 73 71 71 (1,280 each).
284 O Floren (Swe) 70 67 71 76; L Kennedy (Eng) 71 69 71 73; M Manassero (Ita) 67 71 74 72; B Evans (Eng) 71 69 69 75; O David (Fra) 68 72 74 70; S Arnold (Aus) 72 70 68 74 (1,060 each).
285 S Surry (Eng) 72 68 70 75; M Baldwin (Eng) 70 71 75 69; F Colombo (Ita) 69 71 75 70; S Garcia (Esp) 70 71 79 65; B Wiesberger (Aut) 72 67 72 74; J Moul (Eng) 71 65 74 75 (830 each).
286 J Estevez (Arg) 68 68 76 74; H Bacher (Aut) 72 70 74 70; A Wagner (Arg) 72 69 73 72; L Westerberg (Swe) 70 71 73 72; G Shaw (Nir) 68 71 73 74 (700 each).
288 W Ormsby (Aus) 72 70 75 71; S Buhl (Ger) 70 72 73 73; C Ford (Eng) 71 70 73 74; G Houston (Wal) 73 68 73 74; G Lornie (Sco) 71 68 76 73 (600 each).
290 C Rodgers (Eng) 70 72 75 73 (540).
291 R Dinwiddie (Eng) 69 68 74 80 (520).
298 L Matthews (Wal) 71 70 75 82 (500).