A scintilating 63 and admiral 70 set up Neil for one of the biggest final rounds in his fledgling career as he took a three stroke lead into the final round of the Tomatin Single Malt 54 Hole Pro-Am in Scotland.
A course record equalling 63, seven under par, was how Neil opened his account in Scotland and immediately hit the top of the leaderboard. However he couldnt quite produce the day one heroics from Royal Dornoch Golf Club as he could only extend his overall score by one as a second round 70 at Nairn moved him to eight under par, but this was still good enough to give Neil a three shot lead heading into the final round, which for him was at the difficult Castle Stuart.
Host for the Scottish Open on the European Tour, the Castle Stuart course is testing at the best of times but with the usual scottish bleak weather the test can become even more imposing. However on the back of two solid rounds and a strong start to the competition Neil was keen to 'get the job done' and started well with a one under par front nine holes. The first disappointment of the week came on the 16th hole though which sadly lead to a run of three bogeys in the closing three holes and meant that Neil was eventually caught and overtaken by one stroke as he was beaten into second place.
This was a sad way for the event to come to a close however there are many positive Neil can take from the week least of all his fine ball striking which will be very important as he prepares for the final event on the EuroPro Tour in Egypt and the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School.
Congratulations Neil from everyone at Champions of Golf!