Tartan Pro Tour set for thrilling finale in Gleneagles Masters

Heading into the £30,000 event on the PGA Centenary Course, American John Vogelpohl has already secured top spot in the Order of Merit on the back of a win, four second-place finishes and five other efforts that saw him end up between third and tenth place.

Vogelpohl has also secured one of two cards up for grabs on next season’s HotelPlanner Tour, meaning he is playing in this week’s 54-hole tournament feeling no pressure whatsoever.

Stewart, who currently sits in the second card spot, looked set to be the star attraction in Perthshire after producing a stunning performance playing on a sponsor’s invitation to finish joint-fourth in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday.

However, after initially feeling he needed to be teeing it up at Gleneagles, the Ayrshireman is playing instead in the Open de Espana in Madrid after learning that he is on course to secure a better HotelPlanner Tour card through a Non-Members Points List on the DP World Tour.

His absence means that the door has been well and truly opened for three players - Craig Howie, Craig Ross and Sam Locke - to snatch second spot if they can produce a big performance over the next three days.

“I’m looking forward to playing the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles, a course that should suit my playing style,” said Royal Dornoch Masters winner Howie, who heads into the event as Stewart’s closest challenger.

“I’ve not been in great form at all but proved for the majority of this year that I don’t need my best stuff to be able to challenge. Mikey not playing doesn’t change things for me. I still need a win or finish second to get past him regardless.”

Ross landed his maiden win on the circuit at St Andrews in the third last event of the season and needs another victory this week to punch his HotelPlanner Tour ticket.

“It definitely helps a bit with Mikey not playing now,” he admitted, “but I’m just going to stick to my gameplan and hope it’s good enough.”

Bidding to secure one of the coveted cards for the second season in a row, Locke, who has landed at least one victory every single season over the last seven years on the Scottish -based circuit, also needs to sign off his 2026 campaign with a win.

“I feel my game has been getting close to a big result for a while,” said the 2018 Open Silver Medal winner. “I just have to focus on the things I can control and let the result take care of itself!”

While too far back to jump above Stewart, it’s also a big three days for Will Porter. The in-form former Scottish Boys’ champion will secure automatic promotion to the HotelPlanner Tour if he can pull off a third win in the last five events of the season.