Greig Hutcheon records wire-to-wire win in PGA Seniors at Royal Dornoch

Greig Hutcheon vindicated his position as the pre-tournament favourite by recording a wire-to-wire win in the Senior PGA Professional Championship at Royal Dornoch.

The Torphins Golf Club-attached player followed a blistering opening score of 62 with a brace of 72s to finish with a four-under-par total in tough conditions at the Sutherland venue.

He won by four shots from Englishman Andrew Willey, with Hutcheon’s title triumph coming ten years after he landed the second of three Northern Open titles at Royal Dornoch.

Greig Hutcheon shows off the trophy after winning the Senior PGA Professional Championship at Royal Dornoch | The PGA

“It was really difficult,” he said of the test on the closing day. “Very windy and Dornoch were very crafty with some of the pin placements today with the wind direction.

“I battled well. I found it hard going out with the left-to-right wind before kind of settling out when we turned to come home. Just a difficult golf course and, when you get high winds like we had today, it plays very, very awkward.”

The Staysure Legends Tour player mixed three birdies with two birdies going out before following a birdie at the par-5 12th with two dropped shots late on.

“It was just a battle and I am glad to come through it alive and retaining my lead,” he added, landing a first Scottish success in the event since Fraser Mann claimed the crown at Foxhills in 2017.

“It was just a case of trying to get the ball on the green and then two-putt from distance. There were a lot of pin placements that were really dangerous to go at because of the run-offs and I just tried to play the percentages.

Winner had all-time scoring record

“I’ve got the honour of having the all-time scoring record round here, so there was a lot of pressure on me coming into this week.

“I did feel that pressure starting out and I was kind of expected to do well, so I am delighted to win because it’s a golf course where things can go wrong quite quickly.”

The victory secured Hutcheon’s spot in the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship hosted by Colin Montgomerie, one of the main events on the Staysure Legends Tour, at Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen later this year.