Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) with the championship trophy after his come-from-behind victory over the Old Course, St Andrews today (Image by John Stewart of St Andrews Links Trust, all rights reserved).
Keir claws his way back for memorable
win in St Andrews Links Trophy
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Keir McNicoll clawed his way back to the biggest win of his career after a mediocre third round in the St Andrews Links Trophy amateur championship at the Old Course today.
The 23-year-old, runner-up in the recent Irish open amateur stroke-play but a first-round casualty in both the Brabazon Trophy and the Scottish open amateur stroke-play, looked to have lost the chance to improve on his third-place 2006 finish in the St Andrews tournament when he plummeted out of the close-up second position with a 77 in his Sunday-not-so-best third round.
But McNicoll, beaten finalist in last year's Scottish amateur championship, showed he is made of the right stuff by shooting the lowest round of the fourth session - a 68 - to total five-under-par 283 and rise to the top of the heap again.
Keir kept cool, calm and collected to stroke in a 9ft birdie putt on the sloping final green of the Old Course to avert a three-way play-off against Frenchman Rudy Thuillier and 18-year-old Scottish boys' match-play champion Michael Stewart from the Troon Welbeck club.
Thuillier, who took over the lead in Sunday morning's third round after a 68, set the 72-hole clubhouse target of four-under 284. Stewart joined the Frenchman on that mark by holing out from the 18th's Valley of Sin - the depression in front of the green.
"I had a feeling I would win this when I was driving to the course in the morning," said McNicoll. "Sometimes you get those feelings in golf and if you keep believing, you can do it."
Great credit to Michael Stewart for his terrific performance in tieing for second place.
Stewart had never played over the Old Course until his second round and he admitted he had goose bumps just waiting to tee off on Saturday.
Michael's final round of 69 was bettered only by Keir McNicoll - the two of them maintaining Scottish players' fine record in this prestigious tournament.
Stewart has been recruited by East Tennessee State University to start a four-year golf scholarship in the autumn. He will be welcomed there by former British boys champion Jordan Findlay. Master Stewart might just be the young man to fill the shoes of Rhys Davies who was ETSU's outstanding No 1 player until he graduated last year.
Unlike Keir McNicoll, halfway leader Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) was unable to recover from a third-round 75. A closing round of 81 saw him finish joint 24th on five-over-par 293.
Scottish stroke-play champion Wallace Booth (Comrie), joint first-round leader with Macaulay after a 66 over the Jubilee Course on Friday, was the third-best Scot in the final totals. He scored 73 and 76 over the Old Course today for 290 and a share of 13th position.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (72 Jubilee Course, 72 x 3 Old Course).
CSS 73, 75, 76 76
1 Keir McNicoll, Carnoustie 67 71 77 68 283
2 Michael Stewart, Troon Welbeck 68 71 76 69 284
2 Rudy Thuillier, Ormesson (France) 71 72 68 73 284
4 Sam Hutsby, Liphook 71 71 70 73 285
5 Rhein Gibson, River Oaks (USA) 71 73 72 70 286
5 Ben Westgate, Trevose 71 69 73 73 286
7 Chris Wood, Long Ashton 67 74 74 72 287
7 Jurriaan van der Vaart, De Koepel (Netherlands) 73 72 70 72 287
7 Mark Thistleton, Hayling 70 71 73 73 287
10 Andrew Johnston, North Middlesex 68 74 74 72 288
10 Thomas Sherreard, Chart Hills 70 69 73 76 288
12 Jonas Enander Hedin, Barseback (Sweden) 70 75 72 72 289
13 Richard Kind, Koninklijke Haagsche (Netherlands) 71 72 72 75 290
13 Wallace Booth, Comrie 66 75 73 76 290
15 Charles Ford, Kirby Muxloe 72 72 75 72 291
15 Tommy Fleetwood, Formby Hall 73 71 75 72 291
15 Alexandre Kaleka, Marcilly (France) 70 71 76 74 291
15 Miles Mackman, Broome Manor 73 70 74 74 291
15 Adam Wainwright, Gainsborough 73 70 72 76 291
20 Rohan Blizard, New South Wales (Australia) 79 66 73 74 292
20 Mark Hillson, Craigielaw 68 73 76 75 292
20 Scott Arnold, New South Wales (Australia) 73 70 73 76 292
20 Craig Hinton, The Oxfordshire 69 70 73 80 292
24 Edouard Dubois, Bordeaux Lac (France) 70 71 76 76 293
24 Callum Macaulay, Tulliallan 66 71 75 81 293
26 Benjamin Hebert, Palmola (France) 71 73 80 70 294
26 Steven McEwan, Caprington 73 71 77 73 294
26 Federico Colombo, Italy 71 71 78 74 294
26 James Byrne, Banchory 70 74 76 74 294
26 David Antonelli, Nîmes Campagne (France) 68 72 79 75 294
26 James Gill, Hamilton (New Zealand) 70 73 74 77 294
32 Jason Palmer, Kirby Muxloe 70 74 77 74 295
32 Steven Uzzell, Hornsea 71 72 75 77 295
34 Kevin McAlpine, Alyth 70 75 73 78 296
35 Neil Chaudhuri, The Leicestershire 69 73 80 75 297
36 Matthieu Bey, Ormesson (France) 74 71 76 77 298
36 Hugues Joannes, Golf de la Tournette (Belgium) 67 78 76 77 298
36 James Field Jnr, Riviera (USA) 72 73 75 78 298
39 Allyn Dick, Shotts 67 73 86 73 299
39 Kalle Samooja, Aura (Finland) 71 72 80 76 299
39 Matt Haines, Rochester and Cobham Park 73 72 76 78 299
39 Matthew Cryer, Coventry 72 69 78 80 299
39 James White, Lundin 69 73 75 82 299
44 Jake Amos, Kilworth Springs 69 75 77 79 300
44 Constantin Schwierz, Golf Valley Munich (Germany) 75 70 73 82 300
44 Craig Watson, East Renfrewshire 71 71 76 82 300
47 Oliver Farr, Ludlow 67 78 78 79 302
47 Nuno Henriques, Santo da Serda (Portugal) 73 72 77 80 302
49 Derik Ferreira, Centurion (S Africa) 72 73 77 81 303
49 Julien Brun, Cannes-Mougins (France) 69 76 76 82 303
51 Robert McKnight, Caprington 74 71 80 79 304
52 Bryan Fotheringham, Forres 72 73 77 83 305
53 Peter Baunsoe, Gillelede (Denmark) 73 72 80 82 307
54 Nunzio Lombardi, Italy 71 74 76 87 308
55 Jonathan Hurst, Shaw Hill 67 78 86 81 312