As the Order of Merit regular season hit the halfway point it signalled the move away from the tough and firm links courses of the previous two events and on to the lush and tree lined parkland courses of West Fife.

The field were met with sun-kissed fairways of Dunfermline Golf Club for the 2025 MCM @ Pitffirane and Tour observers bore witness to a clinical performance by Paul Gowens, who emerged victorious with a four-under-par 68, topping a competitive field by a single stroke.

The contest was a rollercoaster of momentum, with leads exchanged and exceptional golf displayed across all 18 holes.

The tone was set early. Gowens electrified the crowd with an eagle on the 1st, sinking a long putt to go two under instantly. Mair and McColgan kept pace with steady pars, though Orr stumbled with a bogey on the opener. Peck’s triple on the 1st was an early blow he struggled to recover from.

As the field progressed through the opening holes, on the 4th - a tightly played par-4 - Gowens and Mair both birdied, keeping the pressure high. Orr kept himself in the mix with another par, while McColgan quietly built a solid round.

The tournament ignited on the Par 3 9th hole with a a pivotal moment—Gowens eagled the hole, delivering a scintillating putt that vaulted him to four under. Mair responded with a birdie of his own, maintaining the chase at -1.

As the field went into the back nine the leaderboard condensed. Gowens carded pars while Mair made a brilliant birdie on the 11th. Orr clawed back with back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11, moving to -4 and tying for the lead temporarily. McColgan, after driving the greenside bunker on 11, carded a surprising double bogey, which looked to many as the end of his charge.

Holes 13 through 15 at Pitfirrane feature a challenging par 3, a par 4 ranked the toughest hole on the course and arguably the toughest par 5 at 15. Orr’s charge faltered with a bogey on 13 and a double on 15, dropping him from contention. However, Mair stayed composed, keeping his card clean until a wayward approach at 18 cost him a bogey.

While others stumbled late, McColgan ignited a thrilling charge with four straight birdies to close his round. Starting on the par-5 15th, he reached the green in two and two-putted for birdie. On the 16th, he drained a slick downhill putt from 12 feet. His tee shot on the par-5 17th left a short iron, which he stuck close for another birdie. Finally, on 18, he calmly rolled in a mid-range putt, after hitting the green in two, to cap a flawless back-nine finish. The stunning run brought him to -1, vaulting him up the leaderboard and nearly forcing the leaders to look over their shoulders.

However, all the action had already happened in front of him. With Mair’s bogey on 18 - needing just a par to win, Gowens showed nerves of steel. After finding the fairway, his approach held the green, and he two-putted for par to claim the title. Once again Mair’s lead on 18 evaporated and he had to settle for a second place finish, an all too familiar story.

It certainly feels like the season is hotting up and with 3 out of 6 regular season events in place there were some clear stand out players.

Paul Gowens: steady game, with a red hot putter, delivered him an Order of Merit win on his home course.
Richard Mair: Tactical and composed as ever, Mair’s game was steady and methodical, he must be starting to ask himself how does he shake the 18th hole collapse and win soon?

Stephen Orr: Another solid day for Orr his -2 round highlighted by a string of pars and precision iron play.
David McColgan: Steady throughout, playing some great golfing, but his late charge up the leaderboard was too little too late.

Daniel Peck: Despite an erratic front nine, caught fire late with a run of under-par holes, his game is building and as he gets used to his new irons he could be a late contender for the OoM title.

This year’s MCM Invitational reminded fans why golf is as much a mental game as it is physical. Gowens’ steadiness and sparkles of brilliance under pressure earned him a deserved win. The field was deep, and several contenders could easily have taken the trophy on another day.

With the third event in the bag the Order of Merit standings are looking tighter than ever. McColgan leads the way – after his two wins at the start of the season – on 3,200 points but just 450 points behind him is Paul Gowens; another 100 points behind him was today’s runner-up Richard Mair and just 250 points behind him sits Stevie Orr.

Whilst it is heating up at the top of the leaderboard Denis Duncan, Alan Duncan, Greig Baxter and Jim Robertson are all in the hunt at the bottom, trying to avoid the dreaded relegation spot to Q-School.

The Order of Merit takes a break as the EuroDov Tour players join together to play the SanWedge Tour for the Carnegie Cup at the end of May, but they will be back on OoM duty on Sunday 1st June in the Dodhead Invitational.