In-form Scot matches 'incredible' score by Brooks Koepka at Aviemore venue

In-form Graeme Robertson matched an incredible effort from Brooks Koepka on Scottish soil to land his second win of the season on the Tartan Pro Tour and close in on a step up to the Challenge Tour next year.

The 36-year-old, who successfully defended his Scottish PGA Championship title at Dalmahoy last week by six shots, recorded an equally-impressive victory in the MacDonald Spey Valley Masters presented by The Mackay Clinic.

Holding a one-shot lead heading into the final round after opening with scores of 69 and 66 at the Aviemore venue, Robertson signed off with a nine-under-par 62 to win by seven strokes on this occasion.

Graeme Robertson shows off the MacDonald Spey Valley Masters presented by The MacKay Clinic after his seven-shot win in Aviemore. Picture: Tartan Pro Tour

The effort, which contained birdies at the first, second, sixth, eighth, tenth, 12th, 13th, 14th and 18th, equalled Koepka’s eye-catching score in one of the rounds as he won the Scottish Challenge there in 2013.

“I even surprised myself with that score, to be honest, as it’s incredible,” admitted the Grangemouth professional. “I remember reading about Brooks Koepka shooting 62 around there and, when I then played it myself, I thought ‘how on earth could anyone shoot that score?’. For me to do it, especially when I was leading going into the final round, is quite amazing, to be honest.

“I played well all day and all my birdies were from relatively close range, though I chipped in on the tenth to go to five under and that kept the round ticking over nicely. I just hit it really good and gave myself loads of chances. It was pretty solid all round.”

Robertson, who played in The Open last year at Royal Liverpool, has been the outstanding player on the domestic scene this season, having also won the Northern Open.

“It is a wee bit,” he said of winning becoming a habit. “I’ve discovered something, though I don’t know what it is. I seem to be able to win professional tournaments easier than I could amateur events back in the day.

“Confidence is huge as it just makes you trust and believe in yourself. When the pressure is on, for instance, you trust yourself to make a good swing. I think for the first time in my career I properly believe in myself and trust myself to keep hitting good shots.”

Two Challenge Tour cards are up for grabs on this season’s Tartan Pro Tour, with Robertson very close indeed to securing his promotion to the DP World Tour’s feeder circuit after taking his points tally to just over 20,000 points, with Sam Locke second on 14,270.

“I’m 10,000 points ahead of the player in third place with three events left, so it’s looking good,” said the University of Stirling graduate, “but it would be nice to win the Tartan Pro Tour Order of Merit to go along with the PGA in Scotland one. That’s a target for the rest of the season.

“Playing on the Challenge Tour would be a great opportunity and I feel ready for it. I feel ready for the challenge and I think my scores are reflecting that. I feel as if I’m in the best place I’ve been in to make that next step. I’m really looking forward to it if I can get one of those cards.”