Ramsay relief as golf gods give him a break
UPROAR to the left of him, parties to the right of him. All over Birkdale, fans hollered and thundered. Into the maelstrom of birdie blitzes and eagle awesomeness, Richie Ramsay threw everything he had. And, just when he had come to believe that the golfing gods were going to give him less than zero in return, he finally earned some reward for sheer bloody-minded persistence.
A birdie on the 17th was followed by a glorious hanging, hovering, will-it-won’t-it drop putt that eventually did tumble into the cup for another birdie on the last.
Picking up those two shots allowed the Scot to leave the grounds feeling that he had fought the good fight. And earned every inch of his position on the leaderboard.
No, he is not going to maintain the Open Championship challenge that had seemed on (almost) when he started the day just four shots adrift of Jordan Spieth.
But, seriously, nobody is catching the Slam-chasing phenom. Not now. Ramsay being nine shots back after a level-par round of 70 is irrelevant.
He is still tied for 11th in the greatest tournament on earth, sitting on precisely the same 54-hole score as Rory McIlroy — and all but guaranteed to improve on his previous best performance of 58th four years ago. Not bad for a player ranked 169th in the world.
The Aberdonian will play alongside Ian Poulter in the final round today, knowing that a top-eight finish gets him back into The Open next summer.
Insisting that he won’t even think about setting targets, following the same ‘process’ behind his recent upturn in form, Ramsay is just delighted that he managed to grind something out of an intensely frustrating day.
‘I fought really, really well,’ he declared, adding: ‘And I’m sure you know, when it becomes a fight, I never back down.
‘That was a fight today. So I fought. And the two birdies were just reward for perseverance, if nothing else.
‘The great thing was my mental attitude was really good. I loved it out there. It was really brilliant.
‘The crowds were possibly the best crowds I’ve ever played in front of. The atmosphere on some of the greens was second to none.’
That atmosphere is certain to be repeated when Ramsay and Poulter pair up today, the Scotsman and Englishman virtually guaranteed unanimous support every step of the way.
Ramsay got a taste of it here, drawing plenty of backing himself — and unable to ignore the commotion when Poulter, playing in the group behind yesterday, did anything remotely encouraging.
Insisting that he will thrive in the situation, the 34-year-old said: ‘I thought I came through with flying colours today. And that was under
most intense pressure, playing in a Major, against the best in the world, trying to chase them down. I stayed positive.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll go out and do what I did today, but just putt a bit better and get momentum.
‘When you get momentum there’s definitely a score to be had. And the way I drive it, especially today I drove it really well.’
Whatever Ramsay did well, it is a fact that most of it went unnoticed for a good three hours and fiftysomething minutes of his round.
On a day when virtually every other contender was doing something spectacular, for good or ill, the Scot managed to achieve near invisibility.
Having delivered a masterclass in how to cope with links winds on Friday, the Aberdonian could not capitalise on the most benign conditions imaginable yesterday.
The best golfers on the planet were shooting the lights out all round him. And our boy, knowing that this return to one-dimensional golf removed his biggest edge, simply found himself in the wrong movie. Right from the off.
Having tugged his opening drive a little left and seen his approach shot fly through the green, Ramsay was genuinely unlucky not to save par after a superb chip from a difficult position.
If he was not going to hole putts from within eight feet, however, this was going to be a frustrating day. What he really need was a spark. Some inspiration.
Well, that’s where young Austin Connelly came in. If the Canadian’s birdie on the first was brilliant, his eagle from the middle of the fairway on the second was astonishing. Ramsay was quick to celebrate with his playing partner, high-fiving the kid as the crowd gathered in the natural amphitheatre around the green went wild.
And the Scot was able to respond, holing a birdie putt to get back on level terms for the day.
He was to pick up another shot on the fourth.
Then give it back on the sixth. As the temperatures began to soar, Richie’s game was going cold.
Striving without reward, plugging away doggedly, he finally got his breaks. Especially with that putt on 18.
‘For about three or four seconds, it just wasn’t going in,’ he said with a grin. ‘I started walking … and it just toppled in.
‘You need a few things like that. Because today I didn’t feel like I got much out of it.’
This was a fight today. And I’m not one to back down from a fight