Paul McBride produced a final-round five-under 65 to take runner-up honours at the Clutch Pro Tour’s Rapsodo Open at Oxford Golf Club, and take valuable Order of Merit points which should see him climb inside the top 20.
Starting the day tied for sixth and in the fourth-to-last group, a slow enough start saw him cover the opening six holes in one-over due to a bogey on the par-4 third and five pars. A birdie on the seventh and another on nine got him to the turn in red figures, but his victory hopes exploded back into life when he eagled the par-5 10th.
“I thought if I could get to -14, I’d have a chance,” McBride explained. “I had about 200 yards in and I hit it to about nine feet and made the putt. I hadn’t done a whole lot wrong in those first six holes, so I just tried to stay patient because I know rounds of golf can change so quick – I knew I wasn’t out of it and then I went birdie-eagle on the two par-5s.”
Two further birdies on the way home – including one on 18, which, when combined with his eagle on 18 on day one and birdie on nine on day two, meant he played his final daily holes in a combined -4 – saw him post -12, tie the clubhouse lead and wait to see what transpired in the remaining three groups.
“I am a leaderboard watcher, and I had a look on the 13th or 14th and I knew I was a few back so I had to pick up a few coming in. On 18, I just wanted to hit two good shots and give myself a chance at eagle and see what would happen, and I did that, just the eagle putt went by.
“But it was a very good week. I feel like I’ve been playing so much better than what I’ve been delivering over the last while, and it kind of came together today for the most part.
“And yet, on the last few days, just a few small things and I could have won the event, but I was happy with how I played. Three rounds of good solid golf.”
Unfortunately, his 12-under tally would prove to be two strokes too many as England’s Josh Hilleard birdied the 16th to give himself breathing space and parred the remaining two to reach the clubhouse at -14, two clear of McBride and what would ultimately be a four-strong group.
McBride’s performance makes up for what was an otherwise disappointing week for the 10-strong Irish contingent who teed it up at Oxford Golf Club, with The Island man finding himself the only one with a tee time on the final morning.
“Yeah, I mean, it happens sometimes,” McBride said. “But James [Sugrue], Rob [Brazill] and J.R. [Galbraith] have been playing fairly well this year, so you kind of almost bank on them making the cut week in and week out, but this was just an odd week, I guess.”
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