James Sugrue closed out with a five-under 67 in the final round of the Clutch Pro Tour’s Mizuno Championship at Al Zorah Golf Club in the UAE and though he came up one stroke shy, made a big move on the Order of Merit.
The Mallow man carded six birdies – including one at the last – with just one bogey to take the clubhouse lead at -11, but was eventually beaten by England’s David Hague who pipped him by a single stroke, but the elevated points available in the first of the two Clutch Pro Playoff Series events meant that Sugrue climbed to third in the Order of Merit where the leading three players at the conclusion of next week’s Tour Championship at Al Ain will earn HotelPlanner Tour cards for 2026.
Additionally, those ranked four-seven at the season’s end will earn seven HotelPlanner Tour starts, but will have to balance their schedule by playing on other tours, so there is a lot at stake next week.
The second-place finish was Sugrue’s second of the season, combined with three additional top-five finishes in a campaign where he’s missed just three cuts in 18 starts, and means that it’s all in his own hands coming into the season-ending event.
Mark Power and Alex Maguire finished tied for 15th on -7, with Cormac Sharvin and Robert Brazill one further adrift on -6, and Paul McBride shared 26th on -5.
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