Timing looks perfect for Dawson
Tramore talent is primed to make an impact on pro debut in Portugal
TRAMORE’S Robin Dawson is hoping that the old adage that timing is everything proves to be spot on as he takes his first steps in the professional ranks at this week’s Portugal Masters.
The Irish Amateur Open champion and Amateur Championship runner-up makes his debut alongside Australian left-hander Richard Green and Spain’s Pep Angles today with hope in his heart and talent to burn.
It’s not that he believes he’s going to leave Ryder Cup players Sergio Garcia, and Thornbjorn Olesen for dead or lap three-time major winner Pádraig Harrington.
But after signing off the season of his life ranked eighth in the world and number one in the European Golf Rankings, he knows that when it comes to picking your moments, striking when the iron is hot is never a bad plan.
“I am turning professional because I feel like it’s the right time after the year I’ve had,” Dawson said of his decision to play for pay now rather than wait until after next year’s Walker Cup. “What would I wait around for next year for?
“It’s a very exciting time and I am looking forward to it. I’ve been around for some time and played Home Internationals since 2014, so I have seen a lot of players come and go.”
He knows those players well and how he stacks up against them. And while he would be a shoe-in for Walker Cup selection, playing on tour has been his dream since long before he made his senior debut in the West of Ireland Championship at County Sligo in 2013.
“I didn’t see myself anywhere really,” he said with his trademark grin.
Coached by Noel Fox, Dawson showed his class this year, shaking a monkey off his back at Royal County Down in May by capturing his maiden senior championship, the Flogas Irish Amateur Open, with an impressive performance on one of the world’s toughest links courses – winning by four strokes.
He went on to prove that was no flash in the pan by reaching the final of the Amateur Championship and then finished tied second in the European Amateur Championship the following week.
A brilliant putter with more than enough length to compete on tour, he knows that his impressive CV is no guarantee of success.
With a degree in Equine Business from Maynooth University in his back pocket, he has some insurance and admits he’s under no illusions about the challenge he faces.
Like Pádraig Harrington, who watched others turn professional and thrive, he sees no reason why he shouldn’t be one of the lucky ones who makes the grade.
“I remember Padraig saying in an interview once that he saw players that weren’t as good as him turning pro and doing okay,” he said. “So he
was thinking they’re doing okay, maybe I can do better.”
Dawson doesn’t necessarily believe he’s better than those who have gone before him. But he will only find out if he can make the leap by taking it on.
“It’s interesting to see who pushes on and who doesn’t and hopefully I will be one of those players who does,” he said.
He has followed with interest the careers of the five Irishmen who played in the 2015 Walker Cup – Paul Dunne, Gavin Moynihan, Jack Hume, Cormac Sharvin and Gary Hurley. But he has also seen former teammates Colin Fairweather, Paul McBride, Stuart Grehan, Dermot McElroy and John Ross Galbraith join the pro ranks in recent years.
In that sense, he’s looking forward to being reunited with his old pals on the professional circuit and while he knows that the future is uncertain, signing with a management company that can secure invitations – Hambric in his case – is a good first move for a player who has an exemption into the Second Stage of the Qualifying School thanks to his status as one of the world’s top 15 amateurs this year.
Whatever happens in Portugal this week, he knows that in the ultimate numbers game, good play solves all problems.
“There are loads of scenarios, I have got to try and play as well as I can and try not to get distracted by any of that stuff,” he said. “You could have a European Tour card through Q-School but it is not as strong a category as you think it is.
“So that’s why a management group could be important in terms of invitations. If you got through, a Challenge Tour card would be okay too. But it’s all ifs and buts. If you play well, that will all be taken care of.
“I definitely feel my game is good enough. I am a good, long driver of the golf ball and I putt well. If you can putt well, that’s key.”
It’s interesting to see who pushes on and who doesn’t and hopefully I will be one of those players who does Irish Independent Thursday 20 September 2018