It’s been a day since that magical moment on Sunday evening at Castle Stuart, but my Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open win is yet to sink in. 

Honestly, when I finished the day with a five-under-par 67 round, I thought I had blown my chances with the missed birdie oppotunities on the back nine. The three-putts for par on the par-5 12th, and the par-4 16th, where I reached the green with a great drive, were hurting particularly bad.

It did not look very good for me with Marc Warren three ahead at that stage and Francesco Molinari also making a birdie around the time I finished to move one ahead of me. But after I submitted my card and saw the scores, there was a flicker of hope.

With the wind picking up considerably on Sunday, Castle Stuart was a much different golf course than the one we played the first three rounds on. I decided to wait for the tournament to finish before heading off for the airport.

And then Marc made the unfortunate double bogey on the 15th, and the field started coming back to me. In the end, 17-under par was good enough for the play-off.

As I faced that 15-footer birdie putt to close the issue on the first play-off hole, there was  only one thought in my mind - not to leave the putt short. I was being given a second chance, and I did not want to let it go.

There was a huge sense of relief when the putt went in. It was the finest reward I could have hoped for after four frustrating years during which I struggled from one injury to another. I was spending more time on the physio’s table than on the driving range.

Of course, the added bonus is that I get to play the Open this week at Royal Lytham and St Annes. I love playing the links courses and my form is pretty decent, which should explain why I am really excited about the third major of the year.

I do feel bad for Marc. He could have experienced the double joy of winning his national open and qualify for the Open. But I have been in his position before and lost tournaments. Hopefully, it will be a learning experience from which he will come out stronger.

I want to thank all my fans and sponsors who have stood by me during the last few years of struggle. I hope I have rewarded their patience and this is just the start of another good run for me.

I have normally done well the week after I have won a tournament in the past. So hopefully, I will have some more good stuff to write next week. Till then, wish me good luck!