Brandon Robinson-Thompson clinched his second Challenge Tour title with a dominant eight-stroke victory at the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A, but Dermot McElroy and Jonathan Caldwell both secured season-high finishes as they matched each other in tied fourth.
Rounds of -3 for Caldwell and -4 for McElroy saw them reach -12 overall as they both went bogey-free for the final round and gain valuable Road to Mallorca points with Caldwell climbing 32 places in the rankings to 51st and McElroy jumping 56 to 69th. It effectively secures their playing rights for 2025, and provides a platform to look upwards and hope to challenge the top-20 which would secure promotion to the DP World Tour.
Conor O’Rourke, the only other Irishman from eight to make the cut, closed out the week with a one-under 70 to finish tied for 59th.
The Englishman led by four shots heading into the final round at Newmachar Golf Club and never looked like being caught, firing six birdies and a solitary bogey for a five under par final round of 66 to reach 22 under par, eight shots ahead of Denmark’s Hamish Brown in second.
The 31-year-old, who carded a sensational nine under 62 on moving day to put himself in position to close out victory, was delighted to continue his low-scoring week and win by such a large margin.
“I’m a little lost for words at the moment,” he said. “Winning is great, but winning by eight is something else.
“I’ve always felt I had something in me like this. The margin of victory is just the icing on the cake, but it means I’m doing some really good stuff.
“It wasn’t all plain sailing. I was struggling to find the face towards the end of the front nine, but as the round went on, I just got more comfortable, and the last four or five holes I strung some good shots together and made some nice putts. Finishing like that to seal the deal was really nice.”
Robinson-Thompson, who won his maiden Challenge Tour title at the 2023 Irish Challenge, came close to defending his title at The K Club last week before finishing in a tie for third, a result that makes this victory all the sweeter as he pursues promotion to the DP World Tour.
“Maybe you could call it redemption for last week,” he added. “I didn’t do a whole lot wrong in Ireland, I felt like it was all there.
“Coming into this week I wouldn’t have predicted this exactly, but I knew I was doing the right stuff. I’m really grateful that everything came together this week.
“My coach said I need to win twice if I want a DP World Tour card. I needed to refocus and rededicate myself in certain areas and it really lit something inside me. The goal is still to win twice, no matter where it be, and we’re going to do everything we can to do that.”
South African Robin Williams finished in third place on 13 under par, one shot clear of Frenchman Pierre Pineau and Caldwell and McElroy in fourth, while South African Bryce Easton carded a six under 65 to finish seventh at 11 under par.
Robinson-Thompson’s victory catapults him into ninth place on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, while Brown rises to third on 901 points after his runner-up finish. Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen remains in pole position on 1,077 points, 26 points ahead of Englishman John Parry in second.
The Road to Mallorca now heads to Finland for the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge at Vierumäki Resort from August 15-18.
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