Paul O'Hara loses Newlands Trophy over last 4 holes

Wallace Booth wins at

Lanark with smash-

and-grab finish

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Scottish open amateur stroke-play champion Wallace Booth will tackle the upcoming European Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 test in winning form after staging a smash-and-grab finish to pip Scotland team-mate Paul O'Hara for the Newlands Trophy at Lanark today.
Comrie's Booth, 23-year-old brother of Curtis Cup starlet Carly, won the final event of the 2008 Scottish Golf Union Order of Merit circuit by finishing birdie-birdie-par-par for a two-under-par 68 and a total of five-over-par total of 285.

But, with only four holes to play, it was O'Hara who was the leader with one hand on the Newlands Trophy. But the Motherwell man finished par-bogey-birdie-bogey - two shots more than Booth for the same stretch - for a 70 and 286.
Booth, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, flirted with disaster at the shortish, par-4 17th where he failed in an attempt to drive the green and it looked very much as if he had lost his ball in thick rough, with potentially disastrous consequences.
But, with only seconds to go within the 5min search limit, a spectator found it. Booth celebrated his escape by hacking out and getting down in two more shots for a 4 that kept him on course for his narrow victory.
Stewart Henderson (Hamilton), who led the field at the halfway stage after two rounds in a strong wind on Saturday and still held the pole position with one round to go, finished third with a closing 73 for 288 - a good effort for a man who was born just outside Lanark and won the Newlands Trophy in 2001 when it was still a two-round tournament.
Philip McLean from Peterhead achieved another good Order-of-Merit tournament finish. Paul Lawrie's protege was fourth after two rounds, fourth after three rounds ... and still fourth after 72 holes. He closed with a 71 for a creditable total of 289 in weekend conditions which were far far from easy. The CSS was at least a couple of shots about the par of 70 for each of the four rounds.

Lowest score of the two days was a four-under-par 66 returned by Andrew McLachlan (Bonnyton). He had earlier scored 73, 79 and 78 - but then it all fell into place for him. Great effort over a course where Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) equalled Bernard Gallacher's record of 63 in winning the Newlands Trophy last year.

Callum elected not to defend at the weekend after six competitive rounds in three days at the Home Internationals at Muirfield. Like Wallace Booth and several other of the frontline Scottish amateurs, Callum is tackling the European Tour Q School Stage 1 eliminator at The Oxfordshire, rather than Dundonald Links this coming week.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4 x 70) CSS 73 73 73 72
285 W Booth (Comrie) 72 74 71 69.
286 P O'Hara (Colville Park) 73 74 69 70.
288 S Henderson (Hamilton) 74 69 72 72.
289 P McLean (Peterhead) 76 69 73 71.
291 A Wallace (Glenbervie) 80 69 72 70.
293 G Robertson (Glenbervie) 78 74 71 70, C Van der Marwe (SAf) 78 69 74 72.
295 D McMillan (Lanark) 77 72 74 72, K Nicol (Fraserburgh) 75 74 72 74, J Laurie (Cowglen) 73 73 74 75.
296 A McLachlan (Bonnyton) 79 73 78 66, S Adams (Lanark) 78 74 70 74, G Roger (Cambuslang) 73 73 74 76.
298 G Tough (Letham Grange) 79 74 75 70, J Ross (Royal Burgess) 79 73 74 72, F Fotheringham (Nairn) 74 70 80 74.
299 P Moultrie (Troon Portland) 75 80 74 70, P Gault (Westerwood Hotel) 81 73 73 72, T Sharkey (Helensburgh) 80 72 73 74, J Duff (Newmachar) 75 76 74 74, J White (Lundin) 77 77 70 75, S Borrowman (Dollar) 73 80 71 75, C Watson (East Renfrewshire) 77 75 72 75.
300 C Riddick (Dumfries & Galloway) 77 78 75 70, A Dick (Shotts) 80 77 67 76.
302 B Sloan (Hamilton) 78 77 73 74, C Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 75 78 73 76.
303 G Paterson (St Andrews New) 79 76 77 71, P Dempsey (Alloa) 78 75 75 75, S Smith (Arbroath) 78 75 71 79.
304 F McKenna (Balmore) 76 79 79 70, C Lawton (Stirling) 73 80 74 77.
305 F Butterfield (Bothwell Castle) 72 82 78 73, J Johnston (Wishaw) 78 75 73 79.
306 S McGarvey (Glencorse) 78 76 77 75.
307 S Rennie (Airdrie) 81 72 81 73.
308 A Sweeney (Carnoustie) 79 77 77 75, C Orr (Craigielaw) 81 74 76 77.
309 M Pennycott (Whiting Bay) 83 74 78 74, J Shanks (Irvine) 84 73 77 75.
No Return - O Armour (Machrihanish) 82 75 78 NR.