Scots ace Law raises the bar Down Under in first Tour win
IF there’s no rest for the wicked, then there’s even less rest for the winners. After what he described as a “reasonably civilised” night of celebrations to mark his maiden European Tour win in the Vic Open on Sunday, David Law was on a four-hour flight from Melbourne to Perth yesterday to prepare for this week’s World Super 6 event.
Given how things have gone on and off the course for Law over the past few months, he probably could have flapped his arms and flew across Australia under his his own propulsion.
“It’s been one high after another,” said the 27-year-old Aberdonian as if caught in a thermal updraft. On the professional front, a first Challenge Tour victory last June resulted in promotion to the main European circuit and a maiden win in just his fifth start of the season. On the personal side, the birth of his daughter in December went some way to filling the anguish-laden void of a stillborn son the previous year.
“Things have turned so quickly,” added Law. “I’m incredibly happy off the course and I’m playing good golf on it. My daughter is nine weeks old on Wednesday and I’ve been away for at least a month of that. But I’m out here doing my job and this win gives us all the security for the next couple of years as well as providing a great opportunity for me to kick on. I’ve wanted to win on tour for so long. Now I’ve achieved that, I need to set a new, higher goal, which I’ll do.”
Law revelled in the cut-andthrust down the stretch on Sunday and conjured a rousing late surge which saw him birdie the 16th, then eagle the 18th as the pressure mounted.
“That was the best shot of my career, without a doubt,” he said of his cracking approach to within eight feet on the last.
“I had to take it on. I needed a three. How many times can a golfer say they have a chance to win a tour event? I didn’t want to settle for second or third. If I’d hit a poor shot, made a six and finished eighth at least I could say I gave it a go.”
The Sunday shoot-out was something of a new environment for Law, but one he thrived in.
“I had never played an event where the cameras were on me all the time,” he said. “But it made me excited rather than apprehensive. If you let the situation get on top of you it can shatter you. You never know how you’ll be until you are in that arena but I was happy with how comfortable I felt.”
Law, one of four young Scottish rookies on the European Tour, is now reaping the rewards of his drive and desire. Not that long ago, amid the despair of tragedy, golf seemed to be a source of futility and frustration.
“I was close to giving up,” he conceded. “It’s a lonely sport when you’re not going well. But one thing I never lost was my drive and application. I’ve never been guilty of being lazy. I always kept going with my practice. When things are tough on the course and going poorly it’s tough to practice because you’re not enjoying it. You have to get through it.
“I wasn’t playing horrendously, I just wasn’t playing the golf I knew I was capable of. But it can turn and luckily I have come out the other side. Hopefully, we [the Scottish rookies] can all kick on.
“You want the other lads to feed off it. If I can do it then they will be thinking they can too.”