DOUGLAS PARK PRO AM - First win on circuit for Prestwick St Nicholas professional Gareth hardy

South African Gareth Hardy (Prestwick St Nicholas) and Scot Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) have only one thing in common - they were joint winners with one-under-par 68s apiece in the pro-am at Douglas Park Golf Club, Bearsden, Glasgow on Thursday 17th August, writes COLIN FARQUHARSON

There the similarity ends. For Hardy it was a first win, albeit shared, on the Tartan Tour whereas it was win number eight for O'Hara who chalked up the seventh on Tuesday of this week.

Prior to this event, Hardy had won £295 from eight events in contrast to O'Hara's £22,126.

Each earned £1,198 for splitting the first and second prizes, giving Hardy his biggest ever cheque and O'Hara yet another four-figure prize.

On a windy day at Douglas Park, Hardy held the lead for some time after posting his 68, made up of birdies at the first, 10th, 13th and 14th in halves of 36-32. He bogeyed the fifth, seventh and eighth.

O'Hara had birdies at the first, seventh, 10th, 13th and, most importantly, the 18th with bogeys at the fifth, eighth, ninth, and 11th in halves of 35 and 33.

They finished a shot ahead of Sam Binning (Mearns Castle) and Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills).

Paul O'Hara led the "Killie Trust" trio of Jim Thomson (handicap 10), David Norris (14) and Andy Rodgers (17) to victory in the pro-am team event with a 15-under-par total of 123.

  

DOUGLAS PARK PRO-AM

Douglas Park Golf Club, Bearsden Glasgow

PRO SCORES

par 69

68 - G Hardy (Prestwick St Nicholas), P O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure)

69 - S Binning (Mearns Castle), P McKechnie (Braid Hills)

71 - S Gray (Lanark), F McKenna (Caldwell), N Fenwick (Dunbar), S O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure), G Fox (Clydeway Golf), R Arnott (Bishopbriggs), D Stein (Ranfurly Castle).

72 - A Fulton (Largs), C Currie (Caldwell), C Gordon (Braid Hills).

73 - C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), J McGhee (Swanston New), M Kanev (Bruntsfield Links)

74 - G Hay (Grantown on Spey), A Forsyth (Mearns Castle), J McCreadie (Largs), F Rummins (Canmore).

75 - G Forbes (Mar Hall), R Leeds (Archerfield Links), G Hutcheon (PLGC Inchmarlo), S Henderson (Kings Links), C Ronald (Carluke), K Zeynalov (Portlethen).

76 - C Nairn (Kilmarnock Barassie), M Patterson (Kilmacolm).

79 - J Lamb (Royal Burgess), S Maxwell (Eastwood).

80 - S Clelland (Hayston), V Brown (Logos Golf Ministries), A Hutchison (Douglas Park).

83 - Kirstin Scott (Gleneagles)