Cumbria’s Will Coxon made quite the bow at The Home of Golf as he claimed a four-shot victory in the R&A Student Tour Series final yesterday.
FORMAT: 54-hole stroke play
The 20-year-old from the University of Stirling, playing St Andrews for the first time, started the final round on The Old Course one ahead but hit early trouble before a critical birdie at sixth steadied the ship. In the final reckoning he finished well clear of Order of Merit champion Ryan Griffin (Maynooth), Kiwi Tom Parker and first-round leader Jack Leversidge (Abbeydale).
A bogey-free second round 67 on the Jubilee course provided the launchpad for victory. It was part of a run of 36 holes without a bogey. He dropped a shot at the first on the opening day but then stayed bogey-free until he drove into a gorse bush at the second in round three.
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Coxon said: “It is really nice to get the win. I started the season quite well at Montrose but it has been quite iffy in between.
“And obviously it was great to go bogey free. I played really solidly in the first round but just didn’t hold any putts.”
Coxon started the second of two rounds on the Jubilee course four back of Leversidge (Abbeydale), who got to eight under after 15 holes in the first round before settling for a 66 (-6). He backed it up with a 72 while Coxon hit top gear at the fourth, sticking his pitch to four feet and sinking the putt.
At the next he rolled in a 20-footer and, at the par five sixth, he took advantage of the favourable wind to find the target with an eight iron and two putt. Further birdies follows at 10 and 11 as he went to the top of the leaderboard, one ahead of Leversidge.
On the final day Coxon put his approach over the Burn to three feet to make the perfect start in front of his parents (Billy and Clare) and girlfriend.
But a drive into trouble at the next meant taking a penalty drop and he ended up posting a double bogey.
He then fell two behind his playing partner Griffin at the par five fifth as he again found trouble off the tee, forcing him to suffer another penalty shot. The mistake was compounded as fired at the wrong pin on the double green and then he missed his ten-foot par putt.
However, with Griffin just three feet away in two at the sixth, Coxon sunk his 12-foot birdie attempt to keep within one and it stayed like that until the turn.
A hole later they were level as the Carus Green player found the putting surface with his drive at the par four tenth and then two-putted from 70 feet.
Griffin then bogeyed 12 and 13 and both players birdied the next to leave the Englishman two ahead, a lead which was extended as the Order of Merit leader fell foul of The Road Hole.
Coxon was then able to finish in style, driving into The Valley Of Sin before two putting for a closing birdie and a round of 70.