Starlets are tour de force
Future of Scottish golf is bright with Grant & Liam
Forrest can plan for life among the big boys
THERE’S a big week ahead for some of Scotland’s best known golfers striving to hang on to the European Tour cards.
But if it doesn’t go their way at the Andalucia Masters at least Scottish golf can be consoled by a changing of the guard that will see at least two new talents burst on to the main stage next year.
That’s of little interest to Richie Ramsay, Marc Warren, Connor Syme, Scott Jamieson and David Drysdale, of course.
All they’ll be thinking about at Valderrama is posting the four low numbers they need to finish inside the all-important top 110 in the Race To Dubai that automatically retains playing rights on the main tour for the following season.
And with only Jamieson and Drysdale currently inside the mark on 107th and 108th respectively, it’s sure to be a tense week for all concerned.
It’s hard to envisage a turn of events where all five do enough in Spain to avoid the prospect of a trip to the last-chance saloon at Qualifying School in November.
But it’s heartening that the week has started with positive news that points towards more promising signs for a
Scottish golf scene in need of a boost. Grant Forrest’s runner-up finish at the Hainan Open Challenge Tour event on Sunday guarantees that he will join Liam Johnston on the big time tour next season.
To think it’s only two years and one week since Forrest made his professional debut with an invite to the Dunhill Links.
Time and again successful amateurs struggle to make the transition in the cut-throat world of the paid ranks but with supportive management from the Edinburgh-based Bounce Sport stable Forrest is delivering.
Now, at the age of 25, he can start planning for life among the big boys thanks to Sunday’s result in China leaping him to seventh in the Challenge Tour rankings.
His season points tally of 112,677 already guarantees he will finish safely inside the top 15 who will graduate to the main tour.
Hopefully a third Scot, Aberdeen’s David Law, can hang on to his place in the top 15 from his current raking of 11th.
And with Calum Hill, Robert McIntyre and Ewen Ferguson eyeing up a late surge, there are positive signs for the future. Now let’s hope the guys teeing up at Valderrama get the results to safeguard theirs too.