GOLF: TEE TO GREEN:Closing in on the Scottish Open and one shot on the back nine proved costly, but I'm trying to take the positives from the event, writes REBECCA COAKLEY

LAST WEEK was definitely a case of what might have been. I really should have won the Scottish Open at Archerfield. When I was leading the tournament one shot on the back nine proved costly and then I lost my concentration and eventually had to settle for a tied-eighth finish.

The conditions turned nasty for the final nine holes and by the time I got to the 15th I was leading the tournament by two shots and feeling very comfortable with my game. However, disaster struck and through a combination of bad luck and some poor course management I managed to drop seven shots in three holes and quickly played my way out of contention.

That’s the way it goes, just one of those things. It won’t happen again; I’ll learn from this one and just move on. Even when I messed up 15 and ran up a quadruple bogey eight, I still believed I had a chance of winning because the conditions were hurting everyone coming down the stretch.

At 15 I pushed my drive slightly but had a clear shot to the green. The only thing that bothered me was I had a downhill lie, so I knew I had to hit a couple of clubs less than normal (five iron 175 yards) as the ball was always going to come out low.

For that one shot I kept telling myself what I didn’t want to do rather than focusing on what I needed to do. I don’t know why that happens but that’s why golf is a frustrating and challenging game at times.

I ended up pushing my second shot right and was buried in heavy rough just off the fairway. I took a swing and the ball didn’t move and had to take an unplayable drop. From there I got the ball onto the fringe of the green in five and three-putted for an eight.

There are two ways to look at it. The second shot wasn’t that bad, only 10 yards off line, so yes, you can say that was unlucky but at the same time it was a bad mental error on my behalf.

Up until that point I was feeling great all day with a clear thought process. I was in the right frame of mind and thought my way round the course and made some great up and downs. Then for some reason my mind accentuated all the negative aspects for that second shot.

It’s never great to throw away a tournament chance like that but I’ve learned something new and it’s never going to happen again. My routine will change from now on and I won’t allow myself to think that way again.

I compounded the situation at 16 – a treacherous hole with a raised green shaped like an upside down bowl and almost impossible to hold down wind. I overshot the green only to walk up and find my ball was in a hole. I couldn’t lob it onto the green so tried to bump it into the bank but it came up short and rolled back to my feet. Finally I got it onto the green and two putted for a double-bogey.

Strangely I was still looking to win, I hadn’t lost heart, but when I walked off 16 I was really angry. My caddie then said: “Look you have two holes to play, if you can make one or maybe two birdies you can still win.” Right there I changed my mindset but the par three 17th was ridiculously difficult. I punched a three-wood 180 yards straight into a hurricane wind and found the front edge of the green. The birdie attempt lipped out and I missed the three-foot par effort. That was the last dagger in the heart and my tournament was effectively over.

Looking back it’s unfortunate that one shot cost me so much. On the whole my game is in good shape. I’ve been hitting the ball well since the British Open and carried that through to the Irish Open where I had a good finish and my short game has stayed strong. My goal for the second half of the season has been to put myself into contention and I achieved that goal last week. Yes I’m disappointed but there’s no point in beating myself up because there were a lot of positives.

The more times you get into position then eventually a win will happen. With golf you just never know what’s around the corner. I still picked up a decent cheque in Scotland (€4,740) and moved up to 41st on the money list.

Today I fly out to Finland for the Finnair Masters at Helsinki Golf Club which starts a four-week run in Europe before my next break.