John Paterson lands second Tartan Pro Tour win in 'vastly different' way to first one
St Andrews man up to fifth in Order of Merit and also now gearing up for Scottish Challenge opportunity
Talk about getting the same result on the Tartan Pro Tour but in vastly different ways.
John Paterson landed his breakthrough win on the Scottish-based circuit last September by signing off with a nine-under-par 63 on the Jubilee Course to land the St Andrews Classic presented by Fugro.
He’s now triumphed on the HotelPlanner Tour feeder circuit for a second time but, in his own words, “stumbled over the line” on this occasion.
Paterson opened with a brace of 65s in the Downfield Masters presented by Piper Sandler. His opening effort contained two eagles while the second circuit was illuminated by a burst of five birdies in a row on the back nine.
On the back of those polished performances, Paterson held a three-shot lead heading into the final round, but it turned into a real struggle for him over the closing 18 holes.
In one of the hottest-contested events on the circuit this season, it was eventually job done but only after he finished with a double-bogey 6 for a closing 75.
“I was quite disappointed with how I played in round three and thought I could have been a lot better at closing it out in a more dominant fashion,” admitted Paterson, a St Andrews man, as he reflected on a victory worth £4,545. “But, at the end of the day, you don’t get anything extra for winning by three or four shots.
“I mean, the first time I won on the Tartan Pro Tour in St Andrews I came from behind and shot nine under to win. So I’ve shot nine under to win and five over to win, which are vastly different ways of getting it done.”
His eagles in the opening round came at the fourth and 13th holes at the Downfield venue, where Paul Lawrie, the Tartan Pro Tour’s commissioner, came through qualifying to win The Open in 1999.
“Rounds one and two were pretty much what won it for me,” admitted Paterson. “For my two eagles in round one, I think the combined distance for the putts I holed was about five feet after hitting two approach shots really close, which obviously helps the card.
“Then round two I probably played even better than round one. I missed quite a few chances on the front nine before getting it going on the back, where I made five birdies on the spin. The first two rounds were really good golf and it’s good to see all the work I’ve been doing paying off.”
The win has lifted Paterson into fifth spot in the Tartan Pro Tour Order of Merit, with the top two at the end of the season securing HotelPlanner Tour cards.
“I think I’m £1000 behind second now and, now I’ve won once this season, it gives me an opportunity to try and chase that three-win automatic promotion,” he said. “I’m also now in the Scottish Challenge, which was a big goal for me. It is a good opportunity on a higher stage.
“I ‘ve spent quite a bit of time over the last year or so with Danny [Young, last year’s winner]. We played all the practice rounds together at the Dunhill Championship in South Africa and I’ll be trying to get some tips from him about how to play The Roxburghe and win around there.”
Four players, including Order of Merit leader John Vogelpohl and Craig Ross, shared second spot at Downfield, with Craig Howie, a two-time winner this season along with both Sam Locke and Michael Stewart, in a group a further stroke back.
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