Heather MacRae created history on the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour as she became the first female golfer to win one of the circuit’s Order of Merit events with victory at the latest 36-hole Challenge at Strathmore.
With a thrilling final day charge that should have featured a lance and shield, the Dunblane golfer romped to the front with a sizzling, course record 10-under 62.
That gave MacRae a 13-under aggregate of 131 and a slender one shot win over Craig Lee, her coach for the past three years.
“I’m absolutely delighted to win against the likes of Craig, Paul O’Hara, Al Forsyth, Graham Fox, Chris Doak,” she said as she reeled off the Tartan Tour stalwarts she trumped with her rousing round. “But it was amazing how nice and pleased everyone was for me.
“It was a great round of golf but not too different to how I’ve played over the last few weeks. I just holed a few more putts. And it’s always nice to achieve something that nobody has done before (first female to win PGA OOM event).”
Lee had set the standard with a shimmering 63 which featured a back nine of 30 but MacRae, who opened with a three-under 69, came barging up the order.
The former WPGA champion raced to the turn in just 29 blows – seven-under – and picked up three more shots coming to home as she picked up the first prize of £2,400.
It’s not the first time MacRae, who emerged from treatment for cervical cancer in 2019 to become a winner again on the PGA scene, has created a bit of history.
In 2009, the Ladies European Tour campaigner became the first woman since Meg Farquhar back in 1933 to play in the flagship Scottish PGA Championship.
CLICK HERE to view a full list of scoring from the 36-hole Order of Merit event at Strathmore.
