Scott Henderson is King of Castle with victory in Ayrshire

Former European Tour Rookie of the Year Scott Henderson showed the Tartan Tour's young guns that there's still life in the old dog yet as he drew first blood on the PGA in Scotland circuit this season.

Rowallan Castle director of golf David Addison, left, congratulates Scott Henderson after his victory in Ayrshire

Rounds of 70 and 68 for a four-under-par total secured victory for the Aberdonian in the opening order of merit event of the campaign at Rowallan Castle, where he claimed a £1,200 top prize by a shot from Steven O’Hara.

Henderson, who started the second round a shot behind West Linton’s Gareth Wright and Braid Hills man Paul McKechnie, signed for five birdies as the Kings Links Golf Centre player recorded his biggest success for some time.

As Wright and McKechnie had to settle for 72 and 72 respectively, O’Hara, another former European Tour player, carded a best-of-the-day 66, which included an eagle at the third. Like his younger brother, Paul, the North Lanarkshire Leisure-attached player looks as though he’s using the Scottish circuit to enjoy his golf again.

Elsewhere, Wallace Booth and Sean Lawrie are top Scots after the PGA EuroPro Tour’s Great National Hotels Irish Masters at Ballkisteen. They shot matching rounds of 68, four-under-par, to sit joint-ninth, three shots behind James Ruth as the Englishman set the pace in the 54-hole event.

On another third-tier circuit, Banhory man James Byrne finished in a share 
of third in the MENA Tour’s Mountain Creek Open in Thailand, where Frenchman Lionel Weber completed a wire-to-wire 
win.