Daniel Young sealed his maiden HotelPlanner Tour title on home soil at the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at SCHLOSS Roxburghe.
The Scotsman signed for a closing one under-par round of 70 to finish 19 under-par for the week, one shot clear of Frenchman Julien Quesne.
Having played the front nine in level-par, Daniel held a three-stroke lead through 14. However, back-to-back birdies for Julien on 15 and 16 reduced the margin to one with two holes to play.
After both players parred 17, Julien’s missed birdie putt on the 72nd hole gave Daniel the opportunity to convert a 3ft par putt and seal a memorable win on home soil.
“I am lost for words,” said Daniel. “I’ve been playing well for a while now and was feeling good about coming back here. I like the golf course, and I’ve worked hard coming into this so it’s nice to see that pay off.”
Daniel was backed by a large crowd at Roxburghe, and the 33-year-old was delighted to get his maiden victory over the line in front of home support.
“I don’t think it gets any better,” the Scot added. “You don’t get to pick where you win but this win is extra special, that’s for sure.
“Winning is hard, and I knew the guys would be throwing the kitchen sink at me. James came at me early and then Julien was coming in fast at the end there, but I managed to just hold them off.
“I struggled to make a putt today, but I made my fair share over the first three days, so I am certainly not going to grumble.”
The 33-year-old made a double-bogey at the first but bounced back with an impressive par save on the second and a birdie on the fifth, and he was pleased with his ability to steady himself through the middle part of his round.
“I tried to reset, and I know I was still two ahead,” he said. “I knew if I made a barrel load of birdies from there I wouldn’t be caught.
“I steadied the ship and pretty much didn’t miss a green until 18. The golf was good on what was a tricky day out there.
“I’m really looking forward to the next few events and hopefully I can grab another trophy along the way.”
Scotland’s Euan Walker finished in solo third on 16 under-par, one shot clear of Englishman John Gough, who ended the week in fourth place.
Daniel jumped eight places to sixth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings following his maiden victory. Yorkshireman Josh Berry still leads to way in the rankings, with South African JC Ritchie in second and Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner in third.
