Stewart's dilemma after fourth at Alfred Dunhill Links

Michael Stewart has his eye on the second-tier Challenge Tour next

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

-20 A Meronk (Pol); -18 C Jarvis (SA), N Norgaard (Den); -17 M Stewart (Sco), T Fleetwood (Eng); -16 R MacIntyre (Sco), B Koepka (US)

Selected others: -13 C Syme (Sco); -12 S Bairstow (Eng), C Hill (Sco); -12 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), M Jordan (Eng); -11 D Law (Sco), R Mansell (Eng); -9 P Harrington (Ire), A Fitzpatrick (Eng), S Jamieson (Sco), C Adam (Sco), E Walker (Sco)

On Wednesday, Michael Stewart earned £2,500 for finishing runner-up in the Tartan Pro Tour event at Duddingston Golf Club near Edinburgh.

But what the 36-year-old Scot regards as "without doubt" the best week of his career has left him with a dilemma.

Finishing in the top 10 - two shots behind Poland's Meronk, one behind Denmark's Niklas Norgaard and South Africa's Casey Jarvis, and tied with England's Tommy Fleetwood - means he qualifies for next week's big-money Spanish Open.

However, that clashes with the conclusion to the Tartan Pro Tour, the Gleneagles Masters, after which Stewart will qualify for next year's second-tier Challenge Tour should he protect his current second place.

"Right now, in all honesty, in my mind, it's definitely play the Tartan Pro Tour final at Gleneagles," Stewart said.

"If I don't go and somebody overtakes me, I don't think that's the right thing to do.

"I've played so well to put myself in that position as well. There's so many good players behind me. One of three or four guys can catch me and, if one of them plays well, they can win.

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"It would be silly if I wasn't to go to Gleneagles and at least tee it up and try and secure my Challenge Tour card.

"That was my goal at the start of the year."

While Meronk was earning his fifth win on the DP World Tour, Stewart, who finished one stroke ahead of compatriot and defending champion Robert MacIntyre, was making only his sixth appearance - having missed the cut in his previous five events.

The Ayrshire-based former Walker Cup player finished joint 52nd at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2023 but described his performance at Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and St Andrews this week as a career highlight.

"The Open was amazing, but I felt really disheartened after the Sunday at The Open because I felt like I threw away what could have been a really special weekend," he said.

"But this is amazing. It gives yourself a little bit more belief that you can go on and compete at this level."

MacIntyre was delighted to see his fellow Scot's hard work rewarded.

"It's brilliant," he said. "That's exactly what I was hoping for.

"When we spoke at Kingsbarns when he had a good second round, it was like, hopefully he can do something special that gives him a chance.

"I play the odd game of golf with him and his short game is superb."