Talented Scottish golfer ends career as tour pro after seven-shot success

The 32-year-old Ayrshireman spreadeagled the 30-player field with an opening eight-under-par 64 on the Old Course at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire before adding an equally-impressive 67 to take an eight-shot lead into the closing circuit.

Rounding off a polished performance, McDonald mixed three birdies with three bogeys in a final-round 72 to finish on 13 under, winning comfortably from Seb Sandin and Craig Ross as they shared second spot on six under.

“Yeah, I played really well,” said McDonald, who picked up a winner’s cheque for £5,000. “On all three days I played excellent golf, but I think the first two rounds in particular is the best I have played all year.

“I just kept seeing the shots and committing to the shots and they were coming off. That always helps the cause. When I added it up, I was 13 under for the first two rounds and that was obviously very good.

“Heading into the final day, it was just a case of focusing on what I was doing as I was playing so well. So I had a lot of confidence going into the last round and I was able to control my golf ball really well. I played really well again and that was very pleasing as holding a big lead can be hard at times.”

Helped by two top-ten finishes, including a tie fifth in the Open de Portugal at Royal Obidos last month, McDonald enjoyed his best-ever season on the HotelPlanner Tour, sitting 66th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings at the end of the regular phase of the campaign.

“I played some really good stuff this year and I felt I was continuing to improve. All I was missing was a big week - either a first or second place - to get right up there in the rankings. But it wasn’t to be,” he reflected.

‘I still want golf to be part of my life’

The likes of Sandin, Sam Locke, Callum Bruce and Michael Stewart will now turn their attention to the Second Stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School in Spain at the end of the month - but not McDonald.

“I’m not doing Q School,” said the 2015 Walker Cup winner at Royal Lytham. “I’ve just started to do my PGA training as a trainee at Whitecraigs in Glasgow under David Orr. I’m not going to be playing tour golf any more. I’ll play PGA stuff and potentially the Tartan Pro Tour stuff as well. But I’m not doing Challenge Tour or DP World Tour any more.”

Asked if it had been a tough decision, he insisted it hadn’t. “No, I wouldn’t say it was,” he said. “It was just the right time to do something else as I’ve done this for quite a long time. I’ll still get to play my golf. I want to work within golf as well, so that’s why I’ve decided to go down the PGA route. I still want golf to be part of my life and that’s the route I’ve decided to go down and I am very content with it.

“From a playing aspect, I just want to enjoy my golf. That’s the main thing for me. I feel like the last eight or nine years, it’s been a difficult thing to think about playing golf as your job.

“Now I feel I have something else going on, it is good to go out and enjoy competitive golf and I am really enjoying it now. It is great. David Orr will be great to work under and it’s a great golf club. I am really looking forward to that.”