Yorkshire golf: Rotherham's Jonathan Thomson claims EuroPro title in first month as a professional

ROTHERHAM'S Jonathan Thomson has wasted no time making his mark in the paid ranks by winning the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour's Glenfarclas Open within four weeks of turning professional.
Rotherham's Jonathan Thomson after victory in the Glenfarclas Open (Picture: Brian Stewart/HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour).Rotherham's Jonathan Thomson after victory in the Glenfarclas Open (Picture: Brian Stewart/HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour).
Rotherham's Jonathan Thomson after victory in the Glenfarclas Open (Picture: Brian Stewart/HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour).

But he revealed patience was the key to victory at Mar Hall, where the 20-year-old produced a final-round one-under-par 69 to finish eight under for a two-shot margin.

The tournament had been reduced to 36 holes after Thursday’s play was abandoned due to heavy and persistent rain at the Glasgow course.

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That meant 18-hole leader Thomson began the final round with a two-shot lead.

He dropped two shots early on with bogeys at the second and fourth, but he returned to seven under with birdies at the sixth and ninth.

A solid back nine of eight pars and a four and the par-5 15th in tough conditions was enough for the former Yorkshire county team member to earn the victory.

“It feels great to get the first professional win,” said Thomson, who won £10,000, a brand new Motocaddy S1 Lithium trolley, a Bushnell Tour X Range Finder and Bolle Sunglasses.

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“I don’t know if it has quite sunk in yet, but it is great to have got the job done today. It wasn’t easy and I had a bit of a frustrating start, but I dug in well and I kept going.

“I told myself that it is tough for everybody, not just myself, so I stayed patient. I was hitting good putts, it was just the outcome, so I stayed focused and the putts started to drop.

“It was tough, the greens were difficult to read – you want to allow for a little more break when you know really it won’t break that much, and I did over-borrow a few on the back nine.”

Thomson finished two clear of Craig Farrelly (TPS; 68 66) and Gareth Wright (West Linton Golf Club; 66 68), who shared second.

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Among the six players who shared fourth place on five under par was Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth), who moves up one place to third on the Race To Desert Springs Order of Merit, from which the top five at the end of the season earn a Challenge Tour card in 2017.