I play it finger style, occasionally tossing in ghost notes. I doubt I play it the same way twice, if you consider the placement and timing of ghost notes.
I don't usually use open strings on this one. For some reason, fretting A on the E string always feels and sounds better for me. Not just this song. I just feel like I have more control over how the note rings.
Not sure where you may be skipping notes or what you call the last seven notes. Maybe you are talking about the part where it sort of turns around. Runs up, then back down. G-A-C-A-C, C, G-A-C-A-G-F, (F octave). Different variations of that.