The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Success in Rolex Series crucial
Close, but no cigar for Scott Jamieson. However, the Scot’s second place in the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City again illustrates how the European Tour has changed, probably for the better for the Scots contingent.
Scott was a decent but not top ranked amateur, a player who had to go to the lowest rung of the pro tour ladder and work his way up to the European Tour.
He’s an absolute template for the modern European Tour Scottish pro -– unfussy, undemonstrative, self-deprecating to a fault, and, at least until now, with the slight feeling that while talented, he wasn’t making the absolute most of his ability.
The €712,000 he won on Sunday – nearly half a million more than his previous best, staggeringly – could change that, of course. It’s also interesting that his three best finishes on tour, including his sole win in 2012, have all been in South Africa.
That huge cheque, and the similar ones won for podium finishes by Richie Ramsay and David Drysdale in the Irish Open earlier this year, also shows what a game changer the Rolex Series in its first year has been.
Mark Warren, for example, after a tough summer coping with a shoulder injury, went on a bender in September, with three top tens and a top 15 to win more than €500,000 – probably the best concerted run of form by a Scot on tour this year.
Yet Ramsay got more prize money for just that second place behind Jon Rahm in the Irish, and Jamieson more than €200,000 more for his Nedbank finish behind Branden Grace.
It shows that the Rolex Series events are very good things indeed for mid-ranked pros like most of the Scots tour regulars. One really good week, and you’re free of card worries.
Jamieson made a habit in recent years of leaving securing his card until the eleventh hour.
This year he made a conscious effort to change that, and has reaped the benefits.
It’s no coincidence that the three Scots who move on to the Race to Dubai’s finale, the DP World Championship – Jamieson, Ramsay and Drysdale – are the three who had podium finishes in Rolex Series events.
Tommy’s year deserves the final honour
Only three men can win the Race to Dubai as we enter the final furlong, after 47 tournaments in 26 countries visiting four continents.
Tommy Fleetwood seemed home and hosed before Sergio Garcia won his own event at Valderrama and Justin Rose hit back with a double punch in Shanghai and Turkey to make things a little more interesting.
But Fleetwood deserves it, for the best performances by a European Tour player this season. He won in Abu Dhabi and France, he was second in the WGC in Mexico and in China, and he had a top five at the US Open.
That’s not one of the all-time greatest seasons by a Euro Tour pro, but it’s the best in 2017 by some margin, which illustrates what a down season it’s been for Europe this year.
Tommy also became a father for the first time, which of course is a much bigger thing than moving from a disappointing 41st last year to first in the R2D and improving his world ranking from 99th at the start of the year to 16th now.
Apart from crashing and burning at his “home” Open, it’s been a consistently outstanding season, and Fleetwood deserves to hang on to win the big scary mace and that golden tower thing.
Scottish Golf’s future gets a proper debate
Out of chaos, sometimes, comes clarity. And it’s to be profoundly hoped that we get some sort of clarity for the future of Scottish Golf next month.
What was an SGM on December 2 to rubber stamp the now-departed Blane Dodds’ ambitious financial restructuring plan in Stirling is now the Future of Golf in Scotland Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, at which the Dodds plan will probably be chucked out in entirety. No tears shed for that, but of course that doesn’t detract from the fact that there are real issues in our game that need addressing, if not by a redistribution of wealth such as Dodds seemed to be advocating.
I was a little downhearted when we looked like being denied at least a debate and those vociferously against the Dodds proposals – as justified as that stance is – didn’t appear to be interested in tabling any sort of alternative to address the demographic timebomb threatening the game – nearly 60% of club members being over 50 – in particular.
Because just saying “we’re the Home of Golf”, rebooking the regular Saturday tee-time and thinking that suffices simply won’t wash any more.
But the switch to a bigger venue and the broadening of the remit augurs well, because there seems to be a demand and desire to talk through the issues and see what we can do – reasonably – to put them to rights.
So clubs, area associations, coaches, media, travel operators, and anyone who considers themselves a stakeholder is welcome to come along.
Let’s hear some ideas, people.
It shows what a game changer the Rolex Series in it’s first year has been