There are few better settings for the closing act of the order of Merit regular season than Lochgelly Golf Club. Tucked into Fife’s heartland, its narrow fairways and glassy greens provide a stern but fair test — one that has defined careers and crowned champions in recent years. The Forrester-Lochgelly Open (FLO), in just four editions, has already become a season-defining crucible, a place where form, nerve, and resilience collide.

On Sunday, August 17th, 2025, the stage could hardly have been more perfect. The skies above Fife were a clear, endless blue. The temperatures hovered in the mid-20s. The fairways, firm and running, offered yards to the brave, while the greens — slick but receptive — rolled like marble. Conditions that screamed: no excuses, lads. Go low, or go home.

And yet, drama was already simmering before a ball was struck. Two of the Order of Merit’s key contenders — Richard Mair and Kevin Brannan — were forced to withdraw due to illness. Their absence ripped open the door for others. The FLO had been billed as the latest chapter in the McColgan-Mair rivalry, with Brannan the in-form dark horse, but now the weight of expectation shifted squarely onto one man: David McColgan.

The pre-tournament favourite, McColgan had history at Lochgelly: winner in 2022, joint-leader in 2023 (losing on a countback), and a podium finish in 2024. His game seemed almost purpose-built for these corridors. If anyone could tame Lochgelly again, it was him.

The only problem? Standing in his way was the defending champion, Paul Gowens, alongside a pack of determined chasers who smelled opportunity.
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The build-up had been thick with speculation. Bookmakers installed McColgan as the 2/1 favourite, citing both his consistency and his FLO pedigree. Mair, had he played, was 3/1, with Gowens close behind at 5/1, buoyed by his 2024 triumph. Daniel Peck, the nearly-man, hovered at 6/1, while Callum McNeill’s uncanny Lochgelly record made him a lively 8/1. Brannan, before illness struck, had been pegged as a dangerous 10/1 shot.

The narrative was set: McColgan versus Gowens, with Peck and McNeill lurking, Duncan an outside threat, and Allan a consistent spoiler.

As it turned out, the prediction was eerily prescient. McColgan did rise to the top. Gowens did push him all the way. And Peck, McNeill, and Allan each wrote their own subplots into the tapestry of the day.
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If the FLO has taught us anything, it’s that this course rewards aggression early. The par-five on the outward stretchis gettable, and the short par-threes can offer birdies to a sharp iron player.

And it was Paul Gowens who seized the initiative. The defending champion tore into the front nine with a swagger that screamed intent. He rolled in birdies at the 2nd and 5th, scrambled brilliantly at the 4th, and reached the turn in 31 strokes. A statement of intent.

Stuart Allan, often overlooked, was not far behind. His controlled iron play yielded an eagle at the first followed by birdies at the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and like Gowens he signed for a front-nine 31.

McColgan, by contrast, looked more workmanlike. No fireworks, just pars punctuated with birdies on the 1st, 6th, and 8th. His 32 out kept him within touching distance. Clinical. Patient. Dangerous.

Elsewhere, others faltered. Stevie Orr endured a rollercoaster — opening with a par, surging back with birdies on 2 and 3, only to undo the gains with a triple on 8. Denis Duncan, fresh off his Matchplay win, laboured to a 43 out that seemed to end his chances before they even got going.

The averages told the story: with receptive greens, the field averaged close to par on the front, but only Gowens and Allan truly capitalised.
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As the leaders turned, the tension ratcheted. Lochgelly’s inward nine is less forgiving. Holes 11 through 15 in particular form a gauntlet where rounds are won or lost.

It was here that McColgan’s patience became his weapon. Where others wavered, he held firm. A great scrambling par on 11 was followed by a mammoth drive on 12 that flew over the green that led to par and the same on 13, and a nerveless two-putt par at 15. His closing hole was nothing but clinical; his drive split the fairway and leave him 50 yards, with a 52 degree wedge in hand he fired a low chip that bounced, checked, then rolled out to 3 feet, a birdie to sign for a 34 inward nine, a masterclass in restraint.

Gowens, by contrast, just blinked. A bogey at 12 was followed by a great scrambling par on 13 gave hope, but a dropped shot 15 left him chasing. A closing 35 meant his total matched McColgan at 66, but crucially, it was one shot worse on the back nine.

Allan, too, faltered. A bogey at 11 and 13, a missed short par save at 15, and suddenly his sparkling front nine was diluted into a 37 homeward half. His 69 was impressive but not enough.

Behind them, Orr produced a stirring fightback. His inward 37, after a front nine of 34, secured a 71 and respectability. McNeill battled hard but leaked shots late, signing for 74. Peck, again so often the bridesmaid, stumbled to a ragged 77.

And then there was Denis Duncan. Out in 43, back in 36. His round was a tale of two halves — brilliance too late to matter, but enough to remind the field of his threat.
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In the end, it came down to the narrowest of margins.

Two men, both on 66. Two champions, both with pedigrees. But golf is a game of details, and in the FLO, details matter.

On countback — inward nine — David McColgan was crowned the 2025 Forrester-Lochgelly Open champion. His 34 edged Gowens’ 35. A single stroke, hidden in the tapestry of 18 holes, proved decisive.

For McColgan, it was a second FLO victory in four years (after his 2022 title) and a vindication of the predictions that had made him favourite. For Gowens, it was the agony of near-success — the defending champion who played like a champion but came up just short.
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The leaderboard told one story, but the subplots gave the FLO its richness.

• Stuart Allan (69) – Once again the overlooked performer, Allan’s 31 out put him right in the mix. But a shaky back nine denied him the fairytale. Still, his consistency across the season has made him a dark horse for the Tour Champs.

• Stevie Orr (71) – The enigma. Birdies, doubles, brilliance, and frustration. His scorecard was chaos, but he finished under par on the front and held his ground late.

• Callum McNeill (74) – Lochgelly’s nearly-man. 9th in 2022, 3rd in 2023, 2nd in 2024, and yet this time a step backward. The weight of expectation perhaps finally told.

• Daniel Peck (77) – The nearly-man of the season couldn’t find his rhythm. A front nine of 35 gave hope, but a back nine of 42 crushed it. Still, his body of work keeps him in Order of Merit contention.

• Jim Robertson (78) – Respectable and steady, given his recent return from medical exemption.

• Denis Duncan (79) – Proof that golf can be cruel. A 43 out buried him, even though he roared home in 36.

• Ally Greenshields (82) – Par golf deserted him on both halves. A tough day at the office.

• Alan Duncan (95) – A front nine of 36 had him in the mix. A back nine of 59 destroyed him. Proof that Lochgelly punishes the smallest cracks.
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The FLO was not just about silverware. It was the final act before the Tour Championship, and the Order of Merit standings shifted dramatically.

• David McColgan cemented his No.1 ranking. Three wins, a string of podiums, and now a second FLO crown. His season is already one for the history books.

• Richard Mair and Kevin Brannan, absent with illness, remain in contention but lost precious ground.

• Paul Gowens, with his runner-up finish, surged back into the frame — proving that his win at Pitfirrane was no outlier.

• Stuart Allan continues to underline his credibility, positioning himself as a dangerous spoiler heading into the finale.

• Daniel Peck, despite disappointment at Lochgelly, remains the season’s model of consistency.
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The 2025 Forrester-Lochgelly Open delivered everything it promised. Perfect conditions. A heavyweight duel. Surprises, collapses, and redemption arcs. And, fittingly, it crowned the man most expected to win.

For David McColgan, the FLO is his hunting ground. Two wins in four years, and a record that suggests he may be its first true specialist. This was no fluke, no streak — this was the confirmation of dominance.

For Paul Gowens, it was heartbreak, but also validation. Few can match McColgan here, and he came within a whisker of going back-to-back.

For the Tour, it was the perfect closing act to a regular season of twists and turns. The Order of Merit now heads into the Tour Champs with storylines everywhere: McColgan’s supremacy, Mair’s resilience, Gowens’ resurgence, Brannan’s form, and Allan’s rise.

The FLO once again reminded us why it matters. Why it will continue to matter. And why, on a sun-soaked Sunday in Fife, history once again found its author.

And this time, the name etched into stone was David McColgan — Forrester-Lochgelly Open Champion, 2025.