Gareth Wright beats Greig Hutcheon in P and H play-off after two-shot swing at 18th 

Gareth Wright overturned a two-shot deficit at the final hole en route to winning the £50,000 P and H Championship in a play-off at The Renaissance Club - his fourth shoot-out success in East Lothian in the space of a few years.

The West Linton professional beat fellow overnight leader Greig Hutcheon with a regulation par-4 at the first extra hole after a dramatic conclusion to the 54-hole event on Scotland's Golf Coast.

Hutcheon, one of Great Britain and Ireland's heroes in last weekend's PGA Cup victory at Foxhills in Surrey, had one hand on the trophy after standing two-under for the day and 11-under overall playing the penultimate hole.

But, after missing a five-foot birdie chance there after Wright had saved par from double that distance, the 44-year-old then saw his two-shot cushion wiped out at the par-four 18th.

After seeing his tee shot end up in the right rough, Hutcheon was partially blocked out by a tree and took five, having seen his first putt from off the green race 15 feet past and then leaving the next one agonisingly short.

Wright, meanwhile, split the fairway with his tee shot and then hit a "knocked-down 7-iron" from 167 yards to five feet, confidently rolling in the birdie putt to force a play-off.

It was decided at the first extra hole, where Hutcheon caught a tree with his second shot and could only make five against a regulation par-four from his opponent.

Remarkably, it was the fourth time Edinburgh-based Welshman Wright had prevailed in shoot-outs on Scotland's Golf Coast.

He qualified for the 2013 Open at Muirfield in a play-off at North Berwick before repeating the feat at the same course to get into the 2015 Scottish Open at Gullane.

And, just last year, he triumphed in another play-off to secure a spot in the Paul Lawrie Match Play, a European Tour event, at Archerfield Links.

"I certainly like play-offs in this neck of the woods and definitely wouldn't say no, that's for sure, if you offered me the same route into next year's Scottish Open when it comes back to Gullane," he said, smiling.

Wright also won last year's M and H Logistics Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles in a play-off and will now turn his attention to defending that title at the same venue next month.

He picked up £7,250 overall for this effort, having also been the leading club professional after two rounds.

For Hutcheon, it was a disappointing end to what had been shaping up to be a dream week, but, as always, the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Inchmarlo man was gracious in defeat.

"Gareth came back well after dropping shots at the sixth and seventh to fall three shots behind me and I certainly can't complain about firing 10-under-par for three rounds here," he said.

"I had a chance to seal it at the 17th as that would have given me a three-shot lead. On the plus side, it was one of my best weeks of the year. I played a lot better, made a cheque and it's heading into winter - happy days!"

Dunbar's Neil Fenwick and Alan Welsh of Cathkin Braes finished a shot behind in joint-third after they both closed with seven-under-par 64s - the best score of the week.

"I was awful on the first day," said Fenwick of a 72, "but Graham Fox gave me a putting lesson yesterday morning and that made a big difference."

Welsh also enjoyed a profitable last day on the greens, reporting that he'd taken just 14 putts in his last 12 holes, the pick of which was a 30-footer for birdie at the 17th.

"It's my best round of the season and I couldn't tell you what my best result is. Now it's back to the shop in the morning," said the 25-year-old from East Kilbride.

Order of Merit leader and first-round pacesetter Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) finished joint-eighth after a closing  71, which was matched by playing partner Gavin Hay as the Grantown-on-Spey man secured fifth spot.

Decided over the first 36 holes, Kings Acre's Andrew Oldcorn won the seniors' section while Duddingston's Ross Munro was top trainee, both earning £1,500 in the process for 140 totals.

P and H Championship
FINAL TOTALS
Renaissance Club, North Berwick
par 210 (3x70)
203 G Wright (West Linton) 68 65 70, G Hutcheon (PLGC Inchmarlo) 67 66 70. Wright won play-off at first extra hole. Wright £5,750, Hutcheon £4,500.
204 N Fenwick (Dunbar) 72 68 64. A Welsh (Cathkin Braes) 69 71 64 (£2,875 each).
205 G Hay (Grantown on Spey) 68 66 71 (£2,000).
208 P McKechnie (Braid Hills) 70 70 68, A Oldcorn (Kings Acre) 69 70 69 (£1,650 each).
209 R Leeds (Archerfield Links) 73 70 66, C Currie (Caldwell) 72 70 67, C Marr (Musselburgh) 67 73 69, P O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) 66 72 71 (£1,256 each)
210 C McNeill (Renaissance) 70 68 72 (£1,000).
213 C Kelly (Stirling) 69 74 70, A Forsyth (Mearns Castle) 71 71 71, R Arnott (Bishopbriggs) 69 73 71 (£850 each).
214 R Cameron (Saltire Energy) 73 72 69, K Nicol (Dunes) 70 74 70, S Henderson (Kings Links) 73 67 74, R Munro (Duddingston) 69 70 75 (£675 each).
215 S Binning (Mearns Castle) 70 71 74 (£550).
216 M Owenson (Gullane) 72 73 71 C Doak (Renaissance) 71 70 75 (£512 each).
217 R Tinker (Piperdam) 75 72 70, K McNicoll (Carnoustie GL) 74 73 70, C Goodwin (Strathlene) 69 75 75, G Fox (Clydeway Golf) 70 71 76 (£445 each).
218 D Orr (Eastwood) 73 73 72, S Speirs (Swanston New) 71 71 76, F McKenna (Caldwell) 69 72 77 (£390 each).
219 T Higson (Gleneagles) 75 72 72, F Mann (Carnoustie GL) 72 75 72, J Lomas (Caprington) 72 74 73, S Savage (Dalmuir) 68 75 76 (£355 each).
220 M Hillson (St Andrews for Golf) 73 74 73 (£330).
221 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 75 72 74, J Dick (Duddingston) 72 73 76, C Sutherland (Cherry Lodge) 71 76 74, C Nairn (Kilmarnock Barassie) 71 74 876 (£306 each).
222 R Neill (Drumpellier) 70 77 75. G Paxton (Ralston) 69 78 85. S Gray (Lanark) 75 71 76 (£285 each)
224 P McKenna (Paul Lawrie GC) 74 73 77, K Zeynalov (Portlethen) 70 77 77 (£272 each).
226 R McConnachie (Peterculter) 74 73 79 (£265).
229 A D Wills (Lanark) 70 76 83 (£260).



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