Macaulay’s ninth place boosts his ranking

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR: A final round 68 gave Callum Macaulay ninth place at the Kärnten Open, leaving the Tulliallan professional the leading Scot at the event in Austria.

Macaulay’s four-under effort took him to 12 under for the tournament – eight shots behind winner, Gary Stal of France. The 28-year-old former Scottish Amateur champion climbed one place on the Challenge Tour Rankings, from 20th to 19th, and is the only Scot currently in the all-important top 20 going into this week’s Saint Omer Open. It was, however, a productive week for the Challenge Tour’s tartan contingent, with Scott Henry (-10), Jamie McLeary (-8), Gavin Dear (-8), David Law (-6) and Scott Drummond (-5) all showing glimpses of the kind of form needed to join Macaulay higher up the rankings.

Stal emerged victorious after an epic final-round duel with England’s Daniel Brooks. In a thrilling battle in the final group of the day at the Golf Club Klagenfurt-Seltenheim, Stal put the seal on his maiden Challenge Tour victory with a tap-in par on the 18th green.

Stal’s final round 68 helped the Frenchman to a 20-under-par winning total, one better than Brooks who pushed his rival every inch of the way.