Ryder Cup star Rafael Cabrera Bello stormed through the field in record fashion and then watched the inexperienced Calum Shinkwin unravel at the death to claim the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open title at Dundonald.
Cabrera Bello’s brilliant final round 64, including birdies at the last two holes, saw him come from a tie for eighth to win. However he rode his luck just a bit, a flirtation with the burn at the last bouncing in his favour and Shinkwin’s nerves allowing him the opening to clinch the title at the first play-off hole.
The 24-year-old reached the 72nd hole with a one-shot lead having not dropped a stroke all day, but his nerve deserted him with a series of tentative shots for a bogey six, and then a par in play-off meant Cabrera Bello’s birdie won the Spaniard the monster £898,412 winner’s cheque and a first tour title for five years.
The pair had tied after regulation with 13-under aggregates of 275, three ahead of France’s Mathieu Pavon with Padraig Harrington and Matt Kuchar among five players sharing fourth on eight-under.
“I’ve won before and I have been up there so many, many times, with things not really working out,” said Cabrera Bello. “I was starting to feel a little of pressure every time I was up there contending.
“But I enjoy those situations. I think they really define you. It’s just being there, committing and then I hit a great shot and the birdie was enough to win.
“I truly believed that it could be my day. I just tried to stay one shot at a time, just waiting for things to come to me. Each day here has had its goal, and today was just like the cherry on top of the cake.”
Shinkwin had started the last round cautiously, but a spurt of three birdies before the turn put him in control and two more on the back nine at the 13th and short 15th seemed to end any concerns, whatever Cabrera Bello was doing.
The Spaniard birdied the 17th to give himself every chance, but carved his approach at the long 18th wide right, only to get a hugely favourable bounce over the burn. From there he cooly got up and down for his birdie four, to give Shinkwin at least something to think about down the last.
The only problem was e seemed to think about it too much. After a thunderous drive, a simple lay-up to ensure a solid five and his one shot victory seemed the smart option. Instead he went for the green and short-sided himself wide on the left.
After an age spent assessing the tricky third shot from a bare lie across a greenside bunker, he chipped into the bank where it held and barely avoided creeping back into the sand. Shinkwin putted from there up the bank, the ball holding up five feet short, and his tentative putt for the par and the win predictably never even reached the hole.
In the play-off, the Englishman’s approach was in a similar place to that in regulation. At least he made the putting surface this time, only to leave the ten-footer short to lose out to Cabrera Bello’s regulation birdie four.
“It’s been a very good week,” said Shinkwin. “I’d normally be more than happy to finish second but the win was on my mind and didn’t happen.
“The 18th I hit a great second shot in and finished in a divot on a downslope of the bunker. I had no shot, really.
“It’s all a learning curve and obviously if you win, you have to have luck on your side. It wasn’t there for me today.”
The Englishman’s consolation for an excruciating way to miss his first professional win was the cheque of just short of £600,000, nearly double his career winnings on tour, and one of the three final places in the Open Championship field next week at Royal Birkdale for players not already qualified.
Pavon, who shot a final round 66, and Australia’s Andrew Dodt, who finished in a tie for fourth having been tied for the lead going into the final round, took the other two places next week.
