Home success would be bucket-list win for Richie
The European Tour has already seen Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia act as tournament hosts this year.
At this week’s Scottish Open, Richie Ramsay will almost have that role inadvertently!
T h a t ’s because the Aberdonian has an attachment to the Renaissance Club, which will be staging the event for the first time.
Just a few miles along the road from Gullane and Muirfield, the course – which was only opened in 2008 – is another gem on East Lothian’s ‘Golf Coast’ and it will welcome some of the finest players in the world.
Ramsay uses it as a place to play and practice when he is back home in Edinburgh, so he is the perfect man to ask what his fellow pros can expect.
“It’s a great piece of land and a lovely venue,” he enthuses.
“The course still needs a bit of time to bed in, but the potential is there to be even better.
“The facilities are brilliant and it’s a cool place to go and get away from everything.
“I was last there before I went to Germany and it was in really good shape. They have narrowed the fairways significantly.
“It won’t be firm and fast because we’ve had a lot of rain. But certainly off the tee, it will be a very good test.
“I know the course won’t please everyone, but I am willing the guys to like it as it ticks a huge amount of boxes.”
The Scottish O p e n’s influence continues to grow as its status as a Rolex Series event, and being held the week before The Open makes it an essential stop on the calendar
for many stellar names. Rory Mcilroy will be the main attraction at the Renaissance, with a plethora of Americans flying in, led by Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, the winner in 2015 at Gullane.
On home soil, in such exalted company, Ramsay recognises that victory in an event like this is on the bucket list.
While a top-10 finish is his last chance of securing a spot in The Open at Royal Portrush the following week, having missed the cut at Valderrama and the Irish Open.
“I’ve always felt the Scottish Open was a huge tournament,” says the former US Amateur champion.
“But the realisation for a lot of the guys that playing the week before on a links helps, especially for the Americans, has given it that added bonus.
“Ha v i n g Ro r y in the field is massive. You can’t underestimate that. He is the biggest pulling card we have in Europe. He really moves the needle.
“We’ve got the strongest field of the year so far, it’s stacked with players and it’s a really important week for me.
“My game has been solid, but I must have the mindset to dust off bad weeks. It sounds arrogant but you have to believe you’re a great player and can win any tournament.
“Winning the Scottish Open or the Dunhill Links would be massive. It would be careerdefining. Everything could go wrong after that, but it would always be on the CV.”
Ramsay will be part of a healthy contingent of home players teeing up alongside Rory and Rickie, and the 36-year-old feels there is a new wave of optimism in Scottish ranks.
There have been wins already this year for Challenge Tour graduate David Law, and Stephen Gallacher, while it is surely only a matter of time before lefty, Bob Macintyre, breaks his duck.
“There is now a good spread of us Scots, age wise, on Tour,” adds Ramsay.
“Throw in Connor Syme and Sam Locke qualifying for The Open, and it feels like Scottish golf is in a good place.
“David, Bob, Grant Forrest and Liam Johnston all coming on Tour together has made a massive difference.
“If it was just one of them, it would be much harder to adjust as the competition is greater than ever.
“In amateur golf, you often play and travel as a team. When you turn pro, sometimes you’re on your own and it’s a different mindset.
“But here the guys have been able to bounce off each other. They have got money on the board, and that is a massive weight off your shoulders.”