Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell clinched his career-best finish as Spain’s Adrian Otaegui closed with a stunning 63 to win the Scottish Championship presented by AXA at the Home of Golf.

Playing in just his 31st European Tour event, the 2007 Walker Cup star (36) bounced back from two early bogeys with four birdies, carding a two-under 70 to tie for seventh on 14-under par at Fairmont St Andrews’ Torrance Course.

It was the Bangor man’s second top-10 finish of the season following his share of eighth in the British Masters at Close House in July and after picking up the second biggest cheque of his career —€26,193 to take his season’s earnings on his return to the European Tour to €105,222—he’s gunning now for his first top-five.

Scores

“It’s great because I’ve been playing nice in spells and had a couple of good first and second rounds and given myself some good chances and not done much over the weekends and gone the other way,” said Caldwell, who led Strokes Gained Putting. “So I did a bit of thinking about how I was approaching the weekends and it has obviously worked

“I didn’t have my best over the weekend but I just hung in there and I putted nicely. When you know you are putting nicely that takes the pressure off the long game.

“It was a good week to come back after a few weeks off after the DDF Irish Open at Galgorm. I played a few times at Royal County Down and putting on good links greens helped as well.”

Caldwell paid tribute to his coach Paddy Small and his caddie, Henry Tomlinson, who have played a huge role in his resurgence as a tour player.

“Henry has been a good help,” he said. “It’s the first time I have had a good, proper caddie. I just try to hit it where he tells me as best I can. I won’t get too far ahead of myself, just keep doing what I have been doing.”

It was an even more memorable week for Basque star Otaegui (27), who was determined to claim his first strokeplay win on the European Tour after successes in the 2017 Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play and 2018 Belgian Knockout.

He achieved his goal in style too, carding a nine-under 63 to come from four strokes behind Matt Wallace and win by four strokes from the Englishman, who shot 71, on 23-under par (€161,925).

After making eight birdies in his first 11 holes to surge clear, he made two more in his last four to become just the third Spaniard after Seve Ballesteros and Rafa Cabrera Bello to win a tour event in Scotland.

"Stroke play is my favourite way of golf, I think it’s the proper way," said Otaegui, who opened with a 62, then shot a brace of 70s before surging past an out of sorts Wallace. "I feel so happy. To be able to win in Scotland, especially here in St Andrews, the home of golf, it means a lot to me.”

Ryder Cup skipper Pádraig Harrington closed with a 68 to finish tied 14th (€14,287) on 12-under and after clinching two top-14 finishes in his first four starts since March, he has tentatively entered next week’s Bermuda Championship on the PGA Tour.

“I drove the ball great for the four weeks, or at least the last three anyway and my iron play picked up this week,” said Harrington, who led the Strokes Gained Off The Tee category for the first time in his career. “My chipping was terrible, my wedge play was terrible but I see a lot of good in my putting so I couldn't be in a happier place with my game.”

Scottish Championship presented by AXA, Fairmont St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland 

Detailed scores

265 A Otaegui (Esp) 62 70 70 63, 

269 M Wallace (Eng) 65 67 66 71,

271 A Rai (Eng) 66 67 72 66,

272 G Porteous (Eng) 66 69 66 71, C Paisley (Eng) 66 71 67 68,

273 A Saddier (Fra) 67 67 71 68,

274 Jonathan Caldwell (Nir) 70 66 68 70, M Armitage (Eng) 70 68 70 66,

275 S Crocker (USA) 70 66 67 72, J Donaldson (Wal) 70 70 69 66, S Soderberg (Swe) 72 68 70 65, O Farr (Wal) 73 67 70 65, M Baldwin (Eng) 70 72 68 65,

276 Pádraig Harrington (Irl) 66 69 73 68, L Westwood (Eng) 67 70 72 67,

277 E Pepperell (Eng) 68 70 66 73, B Stone (RSA) 67 70 70 70, M Southgate (Eng) 69 68 70 70, B Stow (Eng) 70 70 67 70, B Easton (RSA) 65 72 72 68, A Wu (Chn) 67 71 71 68, E Ferguson (Sco) 67 72 71 67, A Levy (Fra) 70 71 70 66, J Walters (RSA) 71 69 74 63, 

278 P Waring (Eng) 68 67 71 72, M Simonsen (Den) 69 69 68 72, M Jordan (Eng) 71 68 68 71, M Warren (Sco) 67 69 72 70, C Hill (Sco) 70 72 66 70, 

279 J Morrison (Eng) 72 69 69 69, J Harding (RSA) 75 64 73 67, W Besseling (Ned) 71 69 73 66,

280 G Fdez-castano (Esp) 67 73 70 70, R Ramsay (Sco) 74 68 68 70, D Law (Sco) 73 67 72 68, D Van Driel (Ned) 72 69 72 67,

281 C Syme (Sco) 70 70 69 72, K Reitan (Nor) 73 64 74 70, D Gavins (Eng) 70 68 75 68, S Jamieson (Sco) 67 75 71 68, S Sharma (Ind) 71 72 70 68, R Paratore (Ita) 68 73 73 67,

282 S Horsfield (Eng) 74 69 68 71, C Howie (Sco) 70 68 74 70, P Figueiredo (Por) 70 70 72 70, L Van Meijel (Ned) 72 70 70 70, J Stalter (Fra) 70 72 71 69, O Wilson (Eng) 72 68 75 67,

283 A Chesters (Eng) 72 70 70 71, S Tiley (Eng) 69 74 73 67,

284 A Meronk (Pol) 68 70 74 72, D Drysdale (Sco) 69 71 73 71, S Chawrasia (Ind) 69 69 76 70, H Long (Ger) 69 73 73 69, T Gandy (Imn) 70 73 73 68,

285 D Coupland (Eng) 68 69 75 73, R Petersson (Swe) 71 71 72 71, B Poke (Den) 71 71 72 71, L Scalise (Ita) 71 71 74 69,

286 G Havret (Fra) 69 70 77 70, B Evans (Eng) 69 72 75 70, J Fahrbring (Swe) 72 71 73 70,

287 P Eriksson (Swe) 73 67 73 74, R Santos (Por) 71 71 74 71,

288 D Perrier (Fra) 70 70 75 73, M Schneider (Ger) 73 70 73 72,

289 Z Murray (Aus) 69 73 72 75, 

290 D Young (Sco) 72 71 76 71, 

293 J Sjöholm (Swe) 72 71 77 73