Higson holds on to win Young Masters

Thomas Higson (Gleneagles Hotel) made almost all the running over two days to win the Sandy Pipey Young Masters with a two-under par total of 138 at Royal Dornoch’s classic links on Sunday.

Higson won the £1,422 first prize by one stroke thanks to scores of 68 and 70 to finish one shot ahead of Alastair Forsyth (Mearns Castle) (70-69) and Fraser McKenna (Caldwell) (69-70), who both earned £975 apiece for their joint second finish.

Overnight leader Higson wobbled a bit on the outward half of his final round with back-to-back bogeys at the sixth and seventh.

But he raised his game to hold off Forsyth and McKenna by coming home in two-under-par 33, highlighted by birdies at the long 12th and 18th.

Forsyth had a birdie at the long ninth in the middle of 17 par figures while McKenna's birdies at the 10th and 12th were sandwiched between bogeys at the seventh and 13th.

Steven O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure), who tied with Calum Nairn for fourth place on 140, had an eagle 3 at the long 12th and birdies at the 14th and 15th for an inward half of 31, but earlier bogeys at the fourth and seventh had left him with too much ground to make up, even with a 68.

Nairn had a double bogey 6 at the first hole and birdies at the fourth, 12th and 14th could not close the gap.