The Old Course demons continued to haunt Paul Dunne after the Greystones golfer settled for a share of seventh in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
It proved a frustrating last day for the Dunne with all about him grabbing birdies while he managed to snare just three which came at the third, fifth and last in a score of 70 for a 13-under par tally.
At the short 18th, Dunne watched as his long,curling putt looked like stoppingn right on the edge of the cup before the relief of seeing it just having ‘enough legs’ to drop into the hole.
However the result has seen Dunne actually drop one place to 13th on the Race to Dubai, and he was left to rue his round a 70 on Saturday at Kingsbarns Links where on his debut in the event in 2015 he has shot a sizzling 64.
England’s Tyrrell Hatton become the first player to successfully defend the event shooting a 66 to win by three shots at 24-under par.
“It is an unbelievable feeling and while it was a lot harder this year defending than last year and what a great week again,” he said.
Former Irish Open winner, Ross Fisher was staring at a score of 59 when the Englishman sent his final drive just short of the green at the last and then put his second to just a few feet, thus missing the eagle putt for his place in European Tour history before the further despair of missing his birdie putt that would have handed him a 60 and second at 21-under.
Graeme McDowell produced a 67 for an 11-under tally for a share of 15th while Shane Lowry with a 69 was a shot further back.
Lowry has moved three places on the Race to Dubai to 59th ahead of lining-up on the grid with McDowell later this week in Monza for the $US 7m Italian Open.
Gavin Moynihan rounded off another successful week on the European Tour posting six birdies in a best-of-the-week four-under par 68 for a share of 47th place on eight-under par. The Mount Juliet attached golfer, who finished T14th at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in his only other start this season on the European Tour, returns to the Challenge Tour now where he is lying 30th on the Road to Oman money list.
And Rory McIlroy ended his 2017 season with a par in a round of 72 for a distant share of 63rd which sees McIlroy drop one place to seventh on the Race to Dubai but then that is really no interest to the Ulsterman who will now take a three-month golfing sabbitcal.
“My last round of 2017 sort of summed up all of 2017,” he said. “Not much happening, good or bad. Just sort of stuck in neutral. Yeah, it hasn’t been the year I wanted on the golf course”.
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