Gregor the Great becomes first Scot to win Brabazon Trophy in 19 years

Gregor Graham has become the first Scottish player in 19 years to win the coveted Brabazon Trophy at Hollinwell.

The historic tournament has been played annually since 1947 and is organised by England Golf.

Graham finished the tournament on 9-under par, enough for a narrow one-stroke victory in Nottinghamshire.

The Blairgowrie golfer three-putted the final hole to set up a tense finish in front of the clubhouse crowd as nearest competitors Daniel Hayes (Bramhall) and Sweden’s Wilhelm Ryding had opportunities to take it to a playoff.

England Boys’ star Hayes birdied 15, 16 and 17 to reach 9-under par and set up a grandstand finish, while Ryding eagled the 17th to move within a shot of the lead. 

Ryding failed to make birdie on 18 to force a playoff, and then Hayes fell out of the playoff when missing his par putt. 

View the final leaderboard

Graham, who joins a list of Scottish winners including Lloyd Saltman and Sandy Lyle, said: 

“It feels absolutely amazing. It’s great to win such a big event like this. When I knew it was going to be 12 holes on the final day, it felt a bit different and strange but it was a bit of a shootout so I just tried to make as many birdies as possible.

“I was on edge waiting around with my dad and friends to see what the results were for the others, but it was a massive relief really. It’s nice to get another Scot on the trophy and hopefully we can get more! I’ve got a long drive home but I’ll certainly be having a few beers to celebrate and I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends.”

Another standout winner of the Brabazon Trophy was 2002 champion Charl Schwartzel, who famously went on to win The Masters in 2011.

The competition, which was due to start on Thursday was pushed back to Friday due to heavy rain earlier in the week.

After Saturday’s second round, with thunderstorms forecast throughout Sunday, the decision was made to reduce the final day to just 12 holes, with 41 players making the cut.

England Golf Championships Director James Crampton said: 

“From a safety perspective, the 12 holes which were being used were relatively close to the clubhouse, and should a suspension have been required, we could have evacuated the course quickly. Due to the forecast of storms from midday onwards, by reducing the third round to 12 holes, it increased the ability for us to complete a round. As per the Rules of Golf, once a round has started, we cannot reduce the amount of holes played, so this was the logical decision to ensure we could get play on the final day. A big thanks to the team at Hollinwell for their support over the week and congratulations to all the players, especially Gregor, on a fantastic few days of golf.”