O'Hara scores seventh win of the year

Paul O'Hara (right) with Ben Wallace, sales and marketing director of St Andrews Brewing Company.

Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) continued his most successful season as a pro with a seventh win of the year in the St Andrews Brewing 36-hole Order of Merit event at West Linton Golf Club. 

Northern Open champion O'Hara won the £1,063 first prize with rounds of 62 and 67 for a nine-under-par total of 129 over the par-69 lay-out at the Borders course.

Paul's earnings, which included a £10,000 victory at a Titleist and Footjoy-sponsored PGA event in Ireland, have now reached £22,126 for 2017.

He wobbled at bit in the middle of his second round at West Linton with bogeys at the eighth and 13th, having earlier birdied the fifth and sixth. But he steadied the ship with birdies at the long 15th and 16th for a two-under 67.

Highlander Gavin Hay (Grantown-on-Spey), another who is having an excellent season, came with a rush, birdieing the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th for 31 home and a 63 for seven-under 131, two behind O'Hara who led by four after the first round.

Hay will be rueing his slow start to the tournament with a bogey at the second and a double bogey 6 at the third in the first round. He earned £850, pushing his season's earnings up to £12,937.

Alastair Forsyth (Mearns Castle) finished third with scores of 67 and 66 for 133 and a payslip of £744.