August brings the end of the regular season on the Order of Merit, it’s an exciting time of year with the Tour Champs and the RyDov Cup around the corner but it is also the signalling of the end of the season.

It’s hard to imagine looking back to April as we were standing on the links at St Andrews being battered by gale force winds that it’s all nearly over.

However, we need to park the nostalgia for a little while longer as there is still the business of the Lochgelly-Forrester Open. The Open has been held at Lochgelly since 2022 and sits alongside the King’s Cup as the only Order of Merit event that hasn’t had a multiple winner with Denis Duncan, David McColgan and Richard Mair all etching their name into the history of the tournament – but who would be next?

Richard Mair was defending, Stuart Sutherland (the only other player to have won an OoM event this year) alongside him and multiple players vying for points to boost their chances of winning the James Braid Quaich.

The players arrived a very wind battered Lochgelly, not as bad as the season opener, but certainly not the calmest of days. It was clear from the off the wind was going to challenge the whole field with Sutherland, McColgan and Love faltering on the first tee and moving their balls barely 10 yards forward.

Ally Greenshields had the best showing in the opening hole, Par 5 and straight into the teeth of, but when the hole was done, he was the only player to card a birdie.

As the players turned the uphill par 4 2nd was considerably shorter with the wind at their back. Richard Mair was the only player able to take advantage, however, with a birdie that propelled him into the lead as Greenshields carded a bogey to go the other direction.

The par 3 3rd was playing 205 yards, and is a devilish tee shot, downwind, downhill to a fairway and green that slopes right to left, holding the green the biggest challenge on this hole. However, Denis Duncan had no issues carding a rare birdie, and to match his 2 opening pars he’d jump into the lead as Mair carded a bogey.

3 holes and 3 different leaders certainly set this tournament up to be a roller coaster for sure. As the players turned back into the wind on the 4th Duncan wasn’t ready to give up the lead as he carded a magnificent birdie on the tough par 4 to cement his lead at 2-under par for 4 holes.

The 99 yard par 3 5th was a tough proposition for players, wind gusting into, water behind the green and tree trouble all having an affect on the tee shot. Despite a bogey from Duncan and a birdie from chaser Gowens the lead would stay with the 2021 winner.

The 6th hole was where it all turned, whilst Gowens was tidying up his birdie on 5, ahead of him Duncan was carding a double bogey, Gowens would follow him up 6 but his birdie saw the leaderboard flip and Gowens took the lead for the first time in the tournament.

Gowens cemented his lead with a par on 7, but a par on 8 wasn’t good enough to hold the lead as Callum McNeill – who started the tournament at the bottom of the Order of Merit – was on a charge and with a birdie on 8 joined Gowens at the top of the leaderboard to take us to 5 different leaders on the day.

Gowens would regain the solo lead with a magnificent birdie on 9 to McNeill’s par to reach the turn top of the leaderboard.

After 9 holes the scores read; Gowens -2; McNeill -1; Duncan & Greenshields L; McColgan +1; Peck +2; Mair +4; Sutherland +5; Morrison +6; Love +8;

It was still an exciting tournament ahead with 4 players within 2 shots of each other, all of whom who had led at some point through the front 9.

Special mention to Andy Love who started with a quadruple bogey on the first hole and kept in touch with the field over the proceeding 8 holes.

If the front nine was a roller coaster, of chopping and changing leaders and ups and downs on the leaderboard the back nine was so laid back it was horizontal.

Gowens squeezed the life out the competition carding 4 pars to open the back nine, across arguably one of the hardest stretches of golf on the course. It was a stretch of golf that none of the field could keep a pace with.

The tough 14th hole, par 4, dog leg right, created a glimmer of hope for Callum McNeill has Gowens carded a bogey to drop to within 1 McNeill. However, the very next hole Gowens bounced back as McNeill slipped and he carded a par.

McNeill was undeterred by the blip however and completed the final three holes in 1-under par, but Gowens held his nerve parring his way home to lift the Lochgelly-Forrester Open.

It was a fantastic performance from Gowens in incredibly tough conditions and his under-par round was unmatched by anyone in the field.

The result gives Gowens an exemption from Q-School in 2025 and propelled McNeill up the standings. But for now the glory belongs to Gowens and all eyes will descend in Craigielaw for the Tour Champs come August 30th.