AMERICAN'S AVIEMORE WIN GAINS HIM PROMOTION TO EUROPEAN TOUR

Picture of winner Brooks Koepka by courtesy of Getty Images (c)

                  

REPORT FROM NEIL AHERN

European Challenge Tour Press Officer

Brooks Koepka showed the grit, determination and endless talent of a future world-beater as the American stormed to a three-shot victory at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonalds Hotels and Resorts to gain automatic promotion to The European Tour. 

The hype surrounding the Floridian on the European Challenge Tour 

this year has been likened to that of Martin Kaymer in 2006, with 

some experienced touring professionals stating that Koepka is the 

best they have ever seen.

The 23 year old has lived up to that high praise during an incredible 

11 month period on the Challenge Tour, which culminated in a 

gloriously resolute performance at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club 

as he defied extremely trying weather conditions and long rain delays 

to lift the title.

His final and most important of four Challenge Tour titles came 

thanks to a three under par 68 and because it is his third victory in 

2013, the West Palm Beach native is promoted straight to The 

European Tour – following in the footsteps of the likes of Edoardo 

Molinari and Kristoffer Broberg who did the same.

There, he will join his close friend and compatriot Peter Uihlein as a 

new breed of young stars from around the world begin to choose the 

Challenge Tour as the best and most educational route to the top of 

world golf.

After a four hour delay to his own tee time, Koepka got off to a flying 

start with five birdies and a bogey taking him to the turn in four 

under. 

He started to wobble a little on the back nine with three bogeys in 

five holes leaving him just one shot clear of the chasing pack but 

he bounced back to finish with two consecutive birdies and card 

the joint best round of a tough day to finish top on 18 under 266.

“It’s really exciting,” said Koepka, who is the first American to win 

three times in a single Challenge Tour season. “It was nice to get my 

third win here in Scotland and on my final trip before heading home 

to take some time off.

“This is only the beginning, and I’ve done it in barely a year playing 

professionally. I know it sounds a little bit cocky, but I have high 

expectations for myself.

“Hopefully I will win on The European Tour next, it sounds cool 

saying it. I have always wanted to get out there and play with those 

guys and now I get my room-mate (Uihlein) back!

“Maybe my expectations are borderline too high, but it is a good thing 

to always push yourself and never be satisfied. I think that is part of 

some frustration I have been feeling recently, that I am expecting a 

little bit too much of myself. A good break - going back home - will 

take care of all of that.”

Koepka will travel to Sunningdale for The Open Championship 

International Final Qualifying stage tomorrow (Monday) before 

flying home to West Palm Beach, Florida, for a well-earned rest and  

then returning to join the top tier of European golf for the first time.

Sam Walker, meanwhile, put up a strong defence of his title in the 

Cairngorm Highlands of Aviemore as a two under par 69 left him in 

tied second place, his second runner-up finish in three weeks.

The Englishman, a two-time winner of this event, finished on 15 

under par alongside Andrea Pavan (71) of Italy, Englishman Steven 

Tiley (72) and Korean Byeong-hun An (72), the former US Amateur 

Champion who sealed the highest finish of his Challenge Tour career.

There were four players three shots further back on 12 under, 

including local favourite Duncan Stewart – from Grantown-

on-Spey  just 15 minutes away from this week’s venue – who 

sealed his best finish on the Challenge Tour to win the Douglas 

Lowe Memorial Trophy for the highest-placed Scot.

ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)

 

266 B Koepka  (USA) 70 66 62 68

269 A Pavan (Ita) 65 67 66 71, S Walker (Eng) 67 65 68 69, S Tiley (Eng) 67 67 63 72, B An (Kor) 62 70 65 72

272 D Stewart (Sco) 65 67 68 72, J Carlsson (Swe) 66 68 67 71, S Garcia (Esp) 63 70 70 69, P Maddy (Eng) 68 68 68 68

273 T Murray (Eng) 67 65 70 71, J Doherty  (Sco) 66 66 68 73, T Hatton (Eng) 65 69 67 72

274 D Frittelli (RSA) 65 68 67 74, G Cambis  (Fra) 66 66 69 73, C Kelly (Sco) 68 71 65 70, G Hutcheon (Sco) 68 69 64 73

275 L Kennedy  (Eng) 67 71 67 70, J Guerrier  (Fra) 68 70 69 68, S Kim (Kor) 69 69 68 69, E Dubois (Fra) 66 67 68 74, T Sluiter  (Ned) 71 65 70 69

276 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 70 69 68 69, M Trappel  (Aut) 68 69 65 74, A Velasco (Esp) 66 69 65 76

277 N McCarthy  (Eng) 69 69 66 73, J Huldahl (Den) 68 67 71 71, D Geminiani (Ita) 71 67 68 71

278 T Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 69 71 69, R Kellett (Sco) 68 69 69 72, B Hebert  (Fra) 67 71 68 72, A Forsyth (Sco) 69 69 68 72, E Saltman  (Sco) 71 68 68 71, J Gibb (Eng) 68 70 69 71, T Nørret (Den) 68 66 73 71, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 67 68 65 78, J Dantorp (Swe) 65 65 69 79

279 R Quiros  (Esp) 70 66 72 71, J Abbott (Eng) 70 67 69 73, T Remkes (Ned) 66 66 72 75, C Moriarty (Irl) 69 65 74 71, N Lemke (Swe) 65 70 73 71, K Ferrie (Eng) 67 68 71 73, P McKechnie (Sco) 67 70 70 72, D Dixon (Eng) 68 68 70 73

280 C Russo (Fra) 66 73 69 72, J Mommo  (Fin) 68 70 71 71, O Whiteley (Eng) 72 65 70 73, J McLeary  (Sco) 66 71 70 73, G Wright  (Wal) 68 68 69 75, A Bernadet  (Fra) 69 70 70 71, J Fahrbring (Swe) 70 68 70 72

281 A Gee  (Eng) 69 70 70 72, J Watts (Eng) 65 74 66 76, O Wilson (Eng) 72 66 70 73, B Etchart  (Esp) 71 68 70 72

282 S Dodd (Wal) 72 67 69 74, J Lima  (Por) 67 72 70 73, G Dear (Sco) 68 69 68 77, K Borsheim  (Nor) 68 71 67 76, N Kearney (Irl) 70 69 68 75

285 S Parry  (Eng) 68 71 72 74, S Whiffin (Eng) 73 65 74 73,

286 L Saltman (Sco) 70 69 72 75, G Shaw (Nir) 69 68 76 73,

287 S Manley (Wal) 68 71 73 75, J Mikkelsen (Nor) 69 70 70 78,

288 M Sell  (Eng) 69 70 71 78

289 L Corfield  (Eng) 70 69 75 75, A Dunbar (Nir) 62 69 75 83,

290 M Kerr  (Sco) 71 68 72 79

** P Edberg (Swe) 69 67 71 retired

 

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