The smile is back for Marc as he puts his dark days behind him
Marc Warren
Marc Warren has revealed he has emerged from one of the darkest periods of his career.
The 39-year-old won the Austrian Open a fortnight ago – the first golf in Europe since lockdown – to re-establish himself on the main tour.
Bu t Wa r re n , w h o s e p re v i o u s victory had been in Denmark in 2014, confesses the success came along after a tortuous couple of years.
“To go from where I was to the joys of winning is amazing,” says the Glasgow golfer. “For that to turn around so quickly is incredible.
“I wasn’t enjoying my golf at all. I was playing and practising – but gaining nothing.
“I started missing practice rounds, and trying to spend as little time as possible away from home.
“Last year at the Dutch Open, I flew over on the Wednesday afternoon, putted for an hour in the evening and teed off early the following day.
“I didn’t know the course, but I thought I would be wasting my time learning it.
“I was looking at tee times and – if I had one early on Friday – I’d be thinking I could be home by Friday evening.
“That would shorten the suffering if I missed the cut.
“I was in no man’s land, and I didn’t how to get out of it.
“Everyone who plays golf can relate to that feeling at some point.
“I can’t blame anything off the course. I was not having a bad personal time. It was just golf.
“But when it’s your job, you can’t skip it.”
After trips to Q-school in each of the last two seasons, with his win in Austria, Warren now has his playing privileges secured for the rest of this year, and the whole of 2021.
And, as he looks forward to the rest of the UK swing, he reflects on those dark days.
It’s obviously not what Wa r r e n would have chosen, but four months of no competitive golf allowed him to work on major improvements, and get back on the winner’s podium.
As soon he was able to get back on the course, the game was there and the confidence started to come back.
He fired six birdies in nine holes at home course East Kilbride, the same at Dundonald Links and he shot a fine 66 at new course Dumbarnie Links in Fife, giving him the belief that the hard work would pay off.
“Lockdown gave me time to think,” he admits.
“The more I thought, the penny dropped that I needed to concentrate on one shape of shot.
“I saw good results on the range, which transferred to the course.
“I shot good scores in bounce games and golf was becoming fun again.
“Now I’m in a totally different space to the middle of last year.
“I ’v e got renewed enthusiasm, doors have opened up and I still feel I have more improving to do.”
He may have missed the cut at the British Masters, but there have been fewer happier people in the European Tour bubble than him.
So he will dust himself down and joyfully head to the Hero Open at the Forest of Arden on Thursday.