MOVING DAY
Scott climbs the rankings as he ups sticks and heads Stateside to help improve his game
IT’S not just in the European Tour’s Race To Dubai rankings where Scott Jamieson is making a big move. Shortly after the conclusion of this week’s season-ending World Tour Championship the 33-year-old Glaswegian will up sticks to live in Florida. The fact his wife of six years is an American, whom he met while he was studying at Augusta State, probably makes it more surprising he didn’t make the move sooner. But it’s more than just for practical family reasons that Jamieson believes he will benefit from shipping over the Atlantic. For the vastly more agreeable climate that awaits in the sunshine state could do wonders for his winter training programme. So for that reason alone, don’t be surprised if last weekend’s runner-up finish at the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa is only the first of many big cheques to come his way in the months ahead. Only an inspired closing round by Branden Grace to pip overnight leader Jamieson by a shot denied the Scot his second European title. But in monetary terms it still represents the biggest win of his career with a £630,400 payday for finishing second. Not bad for a week’s work with the promise of even more riches to come now that his rise up the rankings has earned him a place in this week’s Dubai season finale. But it’s not just the cash that will prove so valuable to Jamieson when he reflects on his stellar performance in one of the Tour’s elite Rolex Series events. It’s the knowledge he went up against many of the best players in the world and proved himself more than a match. The feeling of belonging that must inspire could become the basis for the year ahead when he draws up his list of targets for 2018 and plots exactly what he needs to do. Intensive training in hot weather would certainly rank high on that to-do list – so the timing of his emigration could hardly be better. Based in Ponte Vedra Beach, the location of the famous TPC Course at Sawgrass, there is an obvious incentive to muscle up the rankings to one day compete in the flagship Players Championship on his doorstep. But to book that ticket to his local course will require a lot of hard miles, as he intends to commute to continue competing on the European Tour next season. That will require a sensible playing schedule and the willingness to put up with a lot of jetlag but Jamieson is confident he can make it work. He said: “The travelling won’t be much different. For seven months of the year we are on long haul anyway and in the summer I’ll probably come back over for a two-month stint. “You can live where you want really when you are on the tour. There are guys who live in America who play the European Tour and the Aussie boys will travel more than I will. The only thing different will be that I’ll schedule different. “I’ll sit on the plane a little bit longer but will probably take fewer flights. I guess the jet lag will be something I’ll need to learn how to live with but I’m pretty used to it anyway. “I like it over there, I have friends from my college days and it’s closer to my wife’s family too. It should be good for my golf. I will practise more in good weather and be on the golf course more.”
I like it over there and it’s closer to my wife’s family