Scots happy to renew old partnership

Connor Syme and Liam Johnston go way back to putting competitions on the practice green at Dumfries and County Golf Club when they weren’t yet in their teens, writes Steve Scott. So they were an obvious combination for the European Team Championships at Gleneagles.

Back then, they weren’t even thinking about professional golf and playing on the European Tour.

“When we were younger it was just about who was going to win the ball that day,” recalled Liam. “We’ve had putting competitions since we were 10 or 11 years old, when Connor’s dad was the head pro at Dumfries and County.”

Connor is now on the European Tour, while Liam is on the Challenge Tour and both have had some success, Syme a second place in Austria and a thrilling 62 in the Scottish Open at Gullane, while Liam won on one of his first starts on the junior circuit.

They are both looking forward to playing at home and for Great Britain, Connor having done that already in the Walker Cup.

Syme said: “We had loads of match-play golf as amateurs, so it’s not new to us at all, although a slightly different format, better-ball, this week.”

The format sees the young Scots teamed up as Great Britain 3, playing in Group B and their opening game is against the Welsh/English duo of Rhys Enoch and Charlie Ford.

“It’s so cool to be representing Great Britain,” said Liam. “It’d be great to look back on in years to come if you were to win a medal.”

There are 32 teams representing 16 nations competing in the event – sanctioned by the European Tour and Ladies European Tour but under the umbrella of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships – split into four groups, and the first three days features round-robin fourball matches on the PGA Centenary Course.

On Saturday the competition becomes strokeplay for a day with mixed teams from each nation competing against each other for medals.

On Sunday the competition reverts to matchplay and singlegender, with the group winners playing off in semi-finals and finals to determine the medallists in men’s and women’s competitions.

For the first time, mens and women’s teams are playing for equal prize money. As well as Syme and Johnston, home fans can cheer on Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew, who will be partnered by England’s Holly Clyburn, and Aberdeen’s Michelle Thomson, who will play with Meghan Maclaren, also of England.

Back at Gleneagles: Connor Syme.