Local hope Ashley Hall has held his nerve over the final holes to claim the 2009 Victorian Open in Melbourne on Sunday. Hall fired a two-under final round of 69 to finish the tournament at 10-under and register a two-shot victory over Scott Laycock and Craig Scott. It was a topsy-turvy final round for Hall, who had to reel in Laycock on the final nine to take victory. “I&aposm a little bit relieved,” an honest Hall said after collecting the $16,500 winner&aposs cheque. “A four shot lead turned into two pretty quickly at 17 but I figured if I just hit it into the middle of the green on the last I was always going to make par.” “I thought when I woke up this morning with it windy that it was going to play into my hands. I like the course the way it is when it&aposs windy. I tried not to think about what happened yesterday and just stuck to my routine and it worked. I suppose nothing can go wrong if you stick to your routine.” For Laycock, the second-placed finish was a welcome return to form after he lost his status on the Japanese tour last year after playing there since 2001. “Like any player, I play to get into contention and it&aposs been a while for me so I am really happy with how I have gone this week,” he said. “I played better this week than I have in a while for a whole tournament and it was nice to be back up there again.” Final scores from the Victorian Open: (par 71) -10: Ashley Hall -8: Craig Scott, Scott Laycock -7: Paul Sheehan, Aaron Townsend -6: Cameron Percy, David Diaz, Peter Senior -4: Andrew McKenzie -3: Terry Pilkadaris, Andre Stoltz, David Lutterus, Craig Spence, Adam Porker, James McLean
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