Saltman’s Fota shoot

Qualifying for a major championship would be considered a good week’s work in any golfer’s estimation but, instead of basking in his success, Elliot Saltman went out and won a tournament.

The Scotsman had been in two minds about whether to even start this week’s 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour event, the Audi Cork Irish Masters, having birdied the last at Southport & Ainsdale in Lancashire on Tuesday to reach this month’s British Open Championship.

A course-record, 10-under-par 61 on Fota Island Resort’s Deerpark course yesterday to win the tournament more than convinced Saltman he had made the right choice to play.

Saltman, 30, compiled an immaculate bogey-free round featuring 10 birdies to pull away from his second-round co-leaders Rika Batibasaga of Australia and Welshman Stuart Manley — who had started the day at four under par — and finish on 14 under par.

Manley’s 69 was good enough for second place, eight shots behind Saltman with another Scot, Duncan Stewart, third on five under following a 69.

England’s Zane Scotland was fourth on four under while in the group another shot back were Ireland’s leading finishers, Michael McGeady of Derry and Waterville’s David Higgins.

Portstewart’s Paul Cutler had started the day one shot off the lead but his one-over final 72 left him at one under for the tournament in a tie for 10th alongside Jonny Caldwell. Saltman’s £10,000 (€12,600) first-prize vindicated his decision to play the Fota Island event, which started less than 24 hours after his British Open qualifying heroics and resulted in an opening level-par round of 71.

“A lot of people asked after I qualified for The Open whether I’d been taking a couple of weeks off to relax but everything was booked. The hardest thing was getting up the next morning but once I got here it was great and Ireland’s a great place to be.

“I was tired the first day and looking to just get it out the way, six over or six under it didn’t really matter to be honest. I managed to post level par and yesterday gave myself a lot of chances, probably about 16 chances inside 15-20 feet and holed four of them for four under.

“Then back out today and did the exact same thing as I have been doing. I’ve been playing great and today I pulled it off.”

In his seventh season as a professional, the 6ft 4ins Saltman has had a chequered experience on tour and in January 2011 received a three-month ban from the European Tour for marking his ball incorrectly at a Moscow tournament in September 2010, an accusation he refutes despite not appealing the suspension.

This is the Edinburgh golfer’s first tournament victory since returning to the game and the closing 61 will go some way to restoring his faith that his talent was never very far away, a vital development given his upcoming date at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

“It’s always been there, always been in the bag and it’s about time that all my hard work, on my mental game as well, is starting to come out. To shoot 10 under on the golf course is something else, I’m delighted.”

“It was more of a mental thing. I was very quiet and calm and I was just going to enjoy it and to shoot 14 under par to win by eight is going to give me so much confidence going into next week and of course the week after, the big one.

“As long as I can just stick to being me and stick to my game plan then I should be fine.”

Derryman McGeady also has some positive memories to take him into next week’s EuroPro Tour event in Monaghan, the Kingspan Concra Wood Open, having compiled a closing 64 to finish at three under.

McGeady’s round featured eagles at the par-five 10th and 18th, the last of which followed birdies at the 15th and 16th.

“It was a nice finish. Reflecting on the last round I’m happy with the week but I could have put myself in a good position to have won this week,” McGeady said of his 72-74 start.

“Hopefully I can turn that into three solid rounds next week.”