Christofer Blomstrand secured his second HotelPlanner Tour title with a two-stroke victory at the Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at SCHLOSS Roxburghe Golf Club.
The Swede, who carded a 10 under par 61 on day two, signed for a three under 68 on the final day to reach 19 under, two shots clear of compatriot Adam Wallin, who had earlier set the clubhouse target at 17 under par with a final round 62.
The 34-year-old was delighted with how he closed out the tournament having held the lead from the halfway stage.
“It’s been a fantastic week for me,” he said. “I’m really happy with how I played across the whole weekend, actually.
“My irons played a big part this week. The course is quite wide off the tee, but my irons and my short game have been the most important for me this week.”
Starting the final day with a two-stroke advantage, Blomstrand had a bright start, with back-to-back birdies.
Consecutive birdies followed again at the eighth and ninth, as he made the turn in 31 to take his total to 20 under par for the week.
A solitary birdie on the back nine came at the 11th and, with a four-stroke advantage heading down the final stretch, the Swede looked home and dry. Consecutive bogeys at the 15th and 16th set up a tense finish for Blomstrand, but back-to-back pars was enough to secure the title.
“It was tough,” he added. “It’s never easy when you’re in the lead and you still have to make birdies.
“I saw that my friend Adam Wallin was playing really well, and I was thinking about his score for the last five holes, my hands were shaking.”
The result propels Blomstrand into fifth spot on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, something that changes the rest of the season for the Swede.
“It means a lot,” he said. “There are still eight or nine events but I’m in a very good spot now before the end of the season. We will see where we end up.”
Wallin, who was looking to secure his maiden HotelPlanner Tour win with a late flurry on the final day, finished in solo second on 17 under par, one shot ahead of Englishman David Horsey, American John Vogelpohl and Javier Barcos Garbayo from Spain who shared third.
The top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings remains the same with South African MJ Daffue holding top spot, Spaniard Pablo Ereno and Denmark’s Hamish Brown in second and third respectively, and Julien Sale in fourth. Blomstrand climbs 22 spots to fifth, with Wallin just one spot behind him, in sixth after climbing ten places.
The Road to Mallorca now heads to Ireland for the Irish Challenge, taking place at Killeen Castle from August 13-16.
