PAUL McKECHNIE WINS SPRINT TO ST ANDREWS

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolfview.com    Braid Hills' Paul McKechnie chalked up his seventh win of the Tartan Tour season in the penultimate event, the Sprint to St Andrews Final over The Duke's Course, today. McKechnie. the halfway leader, was never really threatened for the £2,000 first prize even though Elie's David Patrick came charging home in five-under-par 30 with a hole in one at the 12th (209yd). Patrick used a five-iron for the sixth ace of his career. It came in a four-hole run from the 11th to the 14th in which the former Walker Cup player had three birdies and his ace, an eagle. He also birdied the 17th but a bogey at the 16th cost him a play-off. Patrick finished with a two-under-par 69 for 142, joint runner-up with Downfield's Kenny Hutton who had a pair of 71s. Hutton birdied the short third and long 11th but bogeyed the fifth and 14th. The Dundee man failed to birdie any of the last seven holes in either round - it was even windier for the second round than it had been for the first.  McKechnie did his "hard work" in a first-round 69 and he could afford to slip to a one-over 72 with birdies at the first, sixth and 11th but a bogey at the first and three shots spilled to par over the last four holes - a double bogey at the par-4 15th and a bogey at the last. But a one-under-par total of 141 was good enough to see him home by a shot from Patrick and Hutton who won £1,300 each.. Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle) had a second-round 68, the best of the day, and he finished joint fourth on 144 with Gareth Wright (West Linton), Craig Ronald (Carluke) and Christopher Currie (Caldwell), each of them earning £677. With only next week's Scottish PGA championship at Gleneagles to come, Stephen Gray leads the Tartan Tour money table with £31,645;  Greig Hutcheon is second with £23,823 and Paul McKechnie third with £23,731. +Picture above, courtesy of PGA Scotland, shows David Scott (left), Director of Golf at The Dukie's Course, presenting Paul McKechnie with his £2,000 cheque. FINAL TOTALS Par 142 (2x71) 141 Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 69 72 (£2,000). 142 David Patrick (Elie SC) 73 69, Kenny Hutton (Downfield) 71 71 (£1,300 each). 144 Graham Fox (Rowallan Castle) 76 68, Gareth Wright (West Linton) 73 71, Craig Ronald (Carluke) 71 73, Christopher Currie (Caldwell) 70 74 (£677 each). 145 Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 71 74 (£500). 147 David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 76 71 (£450). 149 Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 78 71, Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs GR) 77 72, Greg McBain (Gamola Golf) 74 75, Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 73 76 (£327 each). 150 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) 78 72, Scott Grieve (Turnhouse) 78 72, Graeme Brown (Montrose GL) 76 74, Tom Buchanan (Duddingston) 75 75 (£107 each). 151 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 78 73, Craig Gordon (Edinburgh GC) 73 78. 152 James McKinnon (Irvine) 78 74. 153 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) 77 76, Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie GL) 76 77. 154 Mark Kerr (Murrayfield) 78 76, Stuart Reekie (Blairgowrie) 75 79, Mark Loftus (Adam Hunter Golf) 74 80, Alan Tait (Marriott Dalmahoy) 73 81. 155 Alastair Mackenzie (Renaissance Club) 77 78. 158 Christopher Russell (Dunbar) 83 75. 159 Steven Duncan (Carnoustie GL) 78 81, Garry Forrester (St Andrews GS) 77 82. 160 Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 78 82. 161 James McGhee (Duddingston) 80 81. 172 Fraser Clarke (Newmachar) 83 89. Disqualified - Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club) 81 -, Stephen Lamb (Cardrona) 77 -.