Michael Stewart ties fourth at Dunhill Links but faces scheduling dilemma

Michael Stewart finished tied fourth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday, producing a career-best result that also created a difficult choice over his next tournament. BBC Sport reported that the Scot's top-10 finish qualifies him for the Spanish Open, which clashes with the Tartan Pro Tour's season-ending Gleneagles Masters.

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Stewart closed with a six-under-par 66 at St Andrews, according to Golf Monthly's final-round coverage. That brought him to 17 under, alongside Tommy Fleetwood, who finished with a 64. Their shared fourth place was behind champion Adrian Meronk and joint runners-up Casey Jarvis and Niklas Norgaard, placing Stewart among the leading finishers at the end of the four-day event.

Meronk secured his fifth DP World Tour victory with a final-round 68. The Polish Golf Union reported that he finished on 20 under, two strokes ahead of Jarvis and Norgaard. Jarvis shot 72 on Sunday, while Norgaard returned a 68. The tournament used the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns over its opening three rounds before concluding at the Old Course.

For Stewart, the result represented a sharp change from his previous experiences at this level. BBC Sport reported that the 36-year-old, ranked 979th in the world, had missed the cut in each of his previous five DP World Tour appearances. Earlier in the week, he earned £2,500 for finishing second at Duddingston on the Tartan Pro Tour, before collecting almost 100 times that amount at the Dunhill Links.

The immediate decision is whether to accept the opportunity in Spain or protect his position on the smaller circuit. Stewart is second in the Tartan Pro Tour standings and would earn a place on next year's Challenge Tour by retaining that position. BBC Sport reported that he was leaning towards Gleneagles, explaining that several players could still overtake him and that securing the card had been his goal for the year.

Elsewhere in the final standings, defending champion Robert MacIntyre finished alongside Brooks Koepka in a tie for sixth. Golfweek reported that MacIntyre closed with a 68 and Koepka with a 66. Stewart's finish put him ahead of both, completing a week in which he matched Fleetwood's tournament total.