Hugh Foley saved his best round for last as a two-under 68 saw him secure third place at the Scottish Amateur Open Championship at Cruden Bay Golf Club.
The Royal Dublin golfer finished six shots adrift of eventual winner Charlie Thornton of Fulford who edged Spanish Amateur champion John Gough by the minimum on two-under-par.
Foley got off to an electric start with two birdies in his first three holes before a bogey on the fifth saw him turn in 35.
The Irish international opened his back nine with a bogey on the tenth to move back to level for the round and six-over for the championship.
The former West of Ireland and Irish Close champion rallied on the inward stretch with birdies on the twelfth and fourteenth to come home in 33 for a four-over total.
Overnight leader Gough will feel he had done enough to take the title with a hard-fought level-par 70 but he was ambushed by a stunning four-under 66 from Thornton who was bogey-free in his final round.
Meanwhile in the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews Beth Coulter finished in a share of second place on six-under after a final round of three-under 73 on the Old Course.
The opening two rounds were played on the New Course and Coulter shot rounds of 74 and 73 to keep herself in the hunt but she finished three shots adrift of eventual winner Jennifer Saxton of Dunfermline.
The Kirkistown star was the best of the Irish while Clandeboye’s Katie Poots finished in a share of fourteenth on two-under.
The Hermitage’s Kate Lanigan was plus one to share 26th while Jessica Ross cracked the top-30 on two-over.
Lucy Simpson of St Regulus was in a share of 51st on sixteen-over.
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