ROBERTSON HOLDS OFF WATSON TO WIN CRAIGMILLAR PARK OPEN

Runner-up Craig Watson and Craigmillar Park Open winner Graeme Robertson. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Stirling University student Graeme Robertson held off a strong finish from veteran Craig Watson to win the 52nd Craigmillar Park Open golf tournament over the Edinburgh parkland course today.
Which goes to prove that Robertson is a fast learner.

The previous weekend the 23 year Robertson from Larbert and Glenbervie Golf Club, clear of the field at Leven for most of the way, let the lead on Sunday's 36 hole finish to come joint second in the Scottish Champion of Champions.

This time round at Craigmlllar Park. Robertson forged out of a three-way tie for the lead at the end of Saturday's 36 holes with a 66 to lead by two shots after three rounds. Then he  held off a late great birdie run from one of his playing partners, the 45-year-old Watson, winner of the British amateur championship in 1993 and the Craigmillar Park Open in 1994.
Robertson had rounds of 64, 70, 66 and 67 for a 13-under-par total of 267 over the par-70 lay-out.
He birdied the third, eighth, 11th, 14th and 17th in his final round but bogeys at the short 13th and short 15th left the door open for Watson who closed the gap on the leader to one shot with birdies at the third and fifth, followed by a spectacular late run of sub-par figures at the 13th, 14th,15th and 17th.
Watson's superlative run of four-under-par for the five-hole stretch  saw him come home in 31 for a 64 and a total of 12-under-268. It put Robertson under pressure but he coped well this time.
Watson, who had earlier rounds of 68, 66 and 70, shared the halfway lead with Robertson and Allyn Dick at 10-under 134.
Robertson left his par putt five feet short on the 18th. But he bravely and confidently holed it for victory - his first in a 72-hole SGU Order of Merit event. He won the South East District Open last season but it was reduced to 36 holes by bad weather.
It was a case of third time lucky for Graeme - his third appearance in the Craigmillar Park Open, and maybe it takes that long to work out how to play this quirky course that saw some surprise non-qualifiers at the end of Saturday's play, namely defending champion Greg Paterson (St Andrews New), Paul Shields (Kirkhill), Alexander Culverwell (Dunbar) and Scott Crichton (Aberdour), all over the cut-off limit of two-over-par 142.
"I tried to motivate myself by thinking how I felt when I let victory slip out of my grasp at Leven last weekend. And I also focused a lot better at Craigmillar Park this Sunday than I did the previous Sunday when I had a big lead at one time and got ahead of myself," said Robertson who intends to be a full-time amateur golfer after he graduates from Stirling University in a month or two.
Watson had a go to get a birdie 3, the least he needed to force a play-off, at the last and charged his putt four feet past but holed the one back safely to finish a gallant second.
"These younger guys hit the ball a mile past me but, on my game, particularly on a course like this, I showed I can still hold my own with them," said Watson who does not travel so far out of his own neck of the woods to compete as he did his heyday.

Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe), who felt he did not have his best putting weekend, finished third with scores of 70, 64, 68 and 67 for 269. Bogeys at the first and 12th in his final round took the edge off a bag of five birdies (second, third, ninth, 11th and 14th).
With eight holes to go, playing partners Robertson, Dick and Watson, were all two under par for the round with Robertson leading at 12 under par from Dick and James White (Lundin)  at 10 under par, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) at nine under and Watson, at that point, eight under the card overall.

White, who set the course record of 10-under-par 60 last year, reached the turn in five-under 30 with an eagle 2 at the third and birdies at the second, seventh, eighth and ninth, with only one shot dropped, at the fourth ,where he drove into rough.
But White lost his momentum on the inward half with only one more birdie (at the short 13th) but a bogey at the 16th. He had to settle for a closing 65. Clark, out in 32, also couldn't squeeze enough out of the inward half, coming home in 34 for a 66
So first, around 5pm, White posted the clubhouse target of 10-under 270, equalled shortly after by Clark.
But the halfway leading trio, playing together someway behind a field that otherwise went out in pairs, held the key to the outcome and it was perhaps justice that they finished 1-2-3.

 FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) CSS 71 reduction only, 71 70 69
267 Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 64 70 66 67
268 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 68 66 70 64
269 Allyn Dick (Kingsknowe) 70 64 68 67
270 James White (Lundin) 70 68 67 65, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm) 65 72  67 66
272 Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 70 68 69 65
273 Kit Holmes (Hunstanton) 69 70 68 66
274 Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) 69 68 69 68
275 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 69 70 65 71, Glen Campbell (Blairgowrie) 66 72 71 66, Mathias Eggenberger (Switzerland) 68 69 70 68, Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 69 68 70 68
277 Brian Soutar (Leven GS) 74 68 64 71, Scott Stewart-Cation (The Dukes) 73 68 67 69, Graham J Gordon (Newmachar) 72 68 70 67, Ross Bell (Downfield) 71 68 69 69, Richard Bridges (Stackstown) 71 68 71 67, Alan Welsh (Cathkin Braes) 69 67 71 70
279 Graham J Robertson (Silverknowes) 69 71 69 70
280 James Bunch (Prestwick) 70 70 71 69, Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton) 67 73 66 74
281 Ross Noon (Craigielaw) 71 69 68 73
282 Callum Trahan (Meldrum House) 73 69 72 68, Fraser Moore (Glenbervie) 67 73 71 71.
283 Stephen Neilson (Dunbar) 72 70 74 67
284 Michael Daily (Erskine) 72 70 76 66, Patrick Spraggs (Stowmarket) 71 69 72 72, Paul Gault (Westerwood) 71 68 75 70
290 Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 69 72 77 72.
291 Gordon Miller (Cawder) 74 68 70 79, Cameron Marr (Musselburgh) 74 67 68 82.

GRAEME ROBERTSON'S SUNDAY SCORECARDS
ROUND 3 - 66
OUT: 4-3-4-4-4-3-3-3-4: 32. IN: 5-2-4-3-5-2-4-5-4: 34
ROUND 4 - 67
OUT: 4-4-3-4-4-4-3-3-4: 33. IN: 4-2-4-4-4-4-4-4-4: 34

CRAIG WATSON'S LAST-ROUND 64
OUT: 4-4-3-4-3-4-3-4-4: 33. IN: 4-3-4-2-4-2-4-4-4: 31

CRAIGMILLAR PARK PAR FIGURES - 70
OUT: 4-4-4-4-4-4-3-4-4: 35. IN: 4-3-4-3-5-3-4-5-4 35