With three events down and three to go, the OoM Tour has reached the halfway house—and much like a misread putt, no one is entirely sure which way the leaderboard is going to break next. One thing is for certain: the fairways have been fierce, the banter blazing, and the competition closer than a packed clubhouse on a rainy day.

We caught up with a few of the tour regulars for a midseason reflection, and let’s just say the answers ranged from tactical to tragicomic. Here’s how the field is feeling as we turn for home.

The MCM @ Pitfirrane saw the tour return to familiar ground—with unfamiliar gusts. Stuart Allan, usually the steadiest of hands, noted the “surprisingly windy” conditions and how they “played a big part,” especially with the swirling making club selection a lottery.

But for Daniel Peck, it wasn’t just the weather that was unpredictable—it was his trousers.

“A 9 on the first and an unfixable rip in my shorts made me question what I was even doing here five minutes into the round,” he confessed. Forced into an impromptu costume change mid-round, Peck battled more than bogeys: “The fear that a ball in the rough may result in a nettle giving my, now unguarded, testicles a nasty tickle” added a new dimension to course management.

Still, he rallied—both in play and in comedy. “By the time I got to the halfway point, I scored myself a lovely new pair of strides.”

The wardrobe malfunction may have been fixed, but his fixation on Richard “Turncoat” Mair was anything but subtle. More on that... later.

With seven players under par at one point in the MCM, the field is heating up faster than the 18th green in July. Allan praised the rising standards, saying, “The top 5–6 places could easily be very different at Craigielaw.”

Scott Gowens, in his debut OoM season, acknowledged the sharp learning curve. “Parallels to last year’s Q-School... slow start but plugging away.” Still searching for that first under-par round, he remains hopeful, noting that “one good (or bad) event could really spice things up at the top.”

Stevie Orr took the steady approach. “I just try to play my game,” he said, and with his position ahead of expectations, it seems to be working.

Of course, the big story of the MCM was Paul Gowens’ composed birdie on 18 to win the event—his fourth career OoM win and third season with multiple victories. Is he now firmly part of Tour royalty?

“Absolutely,” said Orr. “When he’s on form, he’s a hard man to catch.”

Scott Gowens added: “His game seems to be all coming together... he rarely makes mistakes.”

And even Peck, whose vendetta list may rival his fairway stats, gave credit where due: “He could well be the favourite to nick the OoM away from the Tour’s talisman.”

Callum McNeill, always quick with a dry line, noted that “he just plays simple, effective golf and lets the rest of us beat ourselves.” Which, let’s be honest, is very on-brand for this Tour.

At the top of the OoM standings, David McColgan leads, but Gowens Senior is hot on his heels—just 450 points back. Mair trails a further 100 behind, though you wouldn’t know it by the reaction of his so-called peers.

“Paul and Richard are the most consistent to their handicap outside Dave,” Allan observed diplomatically. But diplomacy ended there.

“Richard Deserter Mair doesn’t stand a chance,” said Peck, who somehow mentioned his nemesis in every single answer. “My next goal is to ensure Judas Mair doesn’t win.”

McNeill echoed the sentiment with clinical flair: “I’ll cross every extremity in the hope that Mair is nowhere near it.”

Mair may want to avoid the locker room next event—or at least avoid standing between Peck and the nettles.

The final stretch promises drama, wind, wild cards—and if Peck’s shorts don’t hold up, potentially a nudity fine. Gowens Senior looks in ominous form, McColgan is still in control, and the chasing pack is thick with talent and mischief.

As Allan put it best: “It feels like the most competitive season yet.” And if you ask the players, that’s exactly how they like it—even if it means fending off gale-force winds and the occasional emotional outburst.
Stay tuned. This one’s going to the wire.