The EuroDov Tour’s Order of Merit season reached its crescendo at Craigielaw Golf Club in East Lothian, a venue bathed in rare perfection. Links golf is usually defined by the lash of the wind, the bounce of the ball on sun-scorched fairways, or the brooding skies that roll in from the Firth of Forth. But on this Sunday, the gods offered something altogether different: calm seas, brilliant sunshine, and greens so pure they almost invited every putt to drop. Against that backdrop, twelve of the Tour’s finest gathered to decide who would walk away with the Tour Championship title.

On Friday 22nd August, Craigielaw Golf Club once again staged the defining moment of the season.

Thirteen players, refined through months of competition at St Andrews, Kinghorn, Pitfirrane, Burntisland, Canmore, and Lochgelly, arrived in East Lothian for one final test. The preview painted a familiar picture: David McColgan, the reigning king of the Tour, was overwhelming favourite; Richard Mair his most likely foil; Paul Gowens a strategist with the nous to spring a surprise. The bookmakers had Scott Gowens, making his debut in the Tour Champs, way down at 33/1 — a name scarcely mentioned in the build-up.

What followed was a tale in two acts — a tense, tightly wound morning round that left the field knotted together at the top, and an afternoon session where one man ignited, rewrote the script, and strode away with the trophy, Scott Gowens. Making his Tour Championships debut, priced at 33/1, written off as a footnote. Few expected him to feature, fewer still to contend. But Craigielaw has never cared for scripts.

Over 36 holes in perfect sunshine, it elevated a new champion, gave the Tour one of its greatest rounds, and etched the name Scott Gowens into EuroDov folklore.
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Craigielaw: The Coastal Gauntlet

Craigielaw is not the grandest or most famous of East Lothian’s links, but it is among the sternest. Set above Aberlady Bay, it has none of the lush trappings of nearby Gullane or Muirfield. Instead, it is stark and uncompromising — pot bunkers like landmines, par threes that play far longer than their yardage, and closing holes that gnaw at nerve as much as technique.

• The front nine tempts players with reachable par fives and short par threes, but it is never benign. Greed here often ends in sand.

• The middle stretch — particularly holes 12, 13, and 14 — is the crucible, where even the steadiest card can unravel.

• The closing gauntlet, 15 through 18, has crowned champions and wrecked hopefuls. The long par-four 16th and the devilish par-three 17th demand absolute precision before the blind drive at 18 confronts players with one final question of nerve.

Craigielaw doesn’t reward perfection so much as persistence. Winners here bleed fewer bogeys than their rivals.
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Morning Round: A Trio at the Top

The morning session, played in rare Scottish calm, belonged to a triumvirate.

Scott Gowens, Paul Gowens, and Callum McNeill each carded superb 66s (-5) to share the lead at lunchtime.

Scott’s round was electric from the off. He stormed the front nine in 29 strokes, his putter ablaze. Even when the inward half cooled, his card radiated confidence. Paul matched him with a clinical 30 out, showing the tactical patience that has long been his trademark. McNeill, meanwhile, was unflappable — a steady 33-33 symmetry, error-free and quietly menacing.

Just behind, Richard Mair logged a steady 69 (-2), three shots back but far from out of it. Kevin Brannan, Ally Greenshields, and Alan Duncan clung to level-par 71s, keeping the leaders in sight.

But others faltered. Stuart Allan’s 72 (+1) felt like one or two shots too many. Denis Duncan and David McColgan both stumbled to 76s, their chances dented early. McColgan’s 12th hole double bogey epitomised his struggles. Daniel Peck limped in with 79, while Jim Robertson’s 84 left him adrift.

At the halfway mark, the board showed parity at the top, opportunity in the middle, and despair for others.
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Afternoon Round: A Masterclass Unfolds

And then came the eruption.

Where others faltered, Scott Gowens soared. His afternoon round was a masterclass in controlled aggression — a breathtaking 62 (-9) that will echo through Tour lore. He turned in 30, then finished in 32, never once flinching, never once loosening his grip.

It was the kind of round that transforms not just a tournament but a career. From tied leader at lunch, Scott separated himself entirely from the field.

Behind him, Richard Mair answered with a polished 67 (-4), confirming his place as the Tour’s metronome. Daniel Peck, humiliated by his morning 79, conjured a stunning 67 in reply — redemption, though not contention. Stuart Allan produced a gritty 68, his iron play keeping him afloat. Paul Gowens, steady but unspectacular, signed for 69 (-2).

But the rest stumbled. McNeill, once co-leader, slid down with a 74 (+3). Greenshields closed with 73, Robertson salvaged pride with 74, while Brannan and Denis Duncan both carded 78s. Alan Duncan collapsed to 80, and McColgan’s 83 confirmed a day to forget.
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Profiles of the Finishers

Scott Gowens (66, 62 = 128, -14)

The debutant who arrived as an afterthought left as a champion. His afternoon 62 is already being compared with the great Tour rounds. This wasn’t just winning golf; it was commanding golf.

Paul Gowens (66, 69 = 135, -7)

For much of the day, Paul looked poised to finally crack the Tour Champs code. He delivered two strong rounds, but his brother’s brilliance consigned him to second.

Richard Mair (69, 67 = 136, -6)

Another model of consistency. Mair rarely looks spectacular, but he rarely looks vulnerable either. His second-place finish confirmed his reputation as the Tour’s steadiest hand.

Stuart Allan (72, 68 = 140, -2)

A gritty fightback after a sluggish morning. Allan’s reputation as a battler grows with each passing year.

Callum McNeill (66, 74 = 140, -2)

From co-leader to also-ran. McNeill’s fade was one of the day’s great disappointments, underlining Craigielaw’s ruthless capacity to expose weakness.

David McColgan (76, 83 = 159, +17)

The favourite, the dynasty-builder, left humbled. McColgan has dominated 2025, but at Craigielaw he looked mortal, undone by a mixture of mistakes and pressure.
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Closing Reflections

The EuroDov Tour prides itself on unpredictability. Every August, Craigielaw strips reputations, rewards audacity, and crowns champions who dare.

In 2025, it found a new king: Scott Gowens, the outsider turned champion, the debutant turned master. His 62 will be remembered as one of the greatest rounds ever played on Tour. His 36-hole tally of 128 sets a new benchmark. And his story — from overlooked to unforgettable — is the essence of why the Tour Championships matters.

Craigielaw has once again chosen its victor. This time, it chose daring, resilience, and brilliance. This time, it chose Scott Gowens.

Statistics sometimes flatter, sometimes distort. At Craigielaw, they told a story of transformation.

The winning total of 14-under-par not only delivered Scott Gowens his first Tour Championship but obliterated the record books. The previous benchmark — 3-under, set in 2022 — looks pedestrian by comparison. Even more remarkable, the top three finishers (14-under, 7-under, 6-under) all surpassed that once-untouchable standard.

It wasn’t just one player. Across the field, scoring reached levels the Tour has never seen. The average score was seven strokes better than the best previous edition. Half the rounds (50%) finished at par or better, doubling the record rate from 2022. Craigielaw, long thought an uncompromising brute, was dismantled in perfect conditions.

And yet, for all the brilliance at the summit, the starkest statistic belonged to the man everyone expected to contend. David McColgan, four-time champion and Order of Merit colossus, finished last on 17-over-par — the worst result of his Tour career. To have won this championship, he would have needed back-to-back 62s.

That reality underlined the scale of the shift.

So what now? Two questions hang in the East Lothian air.

First, are we seeing the end of the McColgan era? His dominance has defined the past five seasons, his name a constant presence on trophies and leaderboards. But Craigielaw’s evidence was damning: his rivals are no longer just keeping pace, they are sprinting ahead.

Second, is it even possible for a player with a handicap like McColgan’s to compete on this Tour anymore?

When fields collectively lower records, when a 3-under winning total is replaced by 14-under, the parameters of what it takes to win have shifted. Consistency alone may no longer be enough; only explosive, low scoring might do.

Perhaps this was a one-off — the product of perfect conditions and one man’s perfect day. Or perhaps it was something more: the dawning of a new era, where the Tour no longer belongs to its past champion but to a new generation unafraid to chase 62s.

In 2025, Craigielaw crowned a new champion. It also may have closed a chapter.