Greig Hutcheon happy with home comforts

The 37-year-old Aberdonian, who won last month's Northern Open, clinched the Tartan Tour's order of merit for the third time on Sunday after a share of third in the Gleneagles Scottish PGA championship.

Hutcheon, who turned pro back in 1991, was a regular on the European Challenge Tour from the mid-1990s and had brief flirtations with the main tour during a ten-year spell in which he won three times on the second-tier circuit. He has also been a hardy perennial of the European Tour's qualifying school since 1996 but this year was the first time, apart from one injury-hampered season, he opted not to submit his entry form for the annual scramble.

With a wife and a young son, family commitments have also played a major part in his decision to stick to competition on home soil. "I've had my shot at the European scene and it can be hard doing it week in week out for as long as I did," said Hutcheon. "My circumstances have also changed at home with the wee boy and I'll be more than happy to play in Scotland."

Hutcheon will make his last appearance of the season on the Scottish tour in today's 10,000 Sprint to St Andrews Final at the Duke's course, a 36-hole contest featuring the top 30 players from a mini order of merit that has run throughout the year.

He will be joined in the field by Hayston's Stephen Gray, who can win the circuit's money-list. The 36-year-old, with four wins this season, has amassed 27,379 and is 1,343 ahead of nearest rival Hutcheon with a top prize of 2,000 on offer in St Andrews.

Tartan Tour. Final Order of Merit: 1, G Hutcheon (Banchory) 802.50; 2, C Lee (Aspire Golf Centre) 735.00; 3, C Doak (Unattached) 731.25; 4, J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle) 610.36; 5, S Henderson (Kings Links) 592.86; 6, P McKechnie (Braid Hills) 592.50; 7, G Wright (West Linton) 588.13; 8, D Patrick (Elie) 567.50; 9, S Gray (Hayston) 547.86; 10, C Kelly (Cawder) 542.50.