If Sam can achieve anything like Sandy, he’ll have no regrets

This week has marked a changing of the guard in Scottish golf, as we’ve said goodbye to our greatest-ever player and, hopefully, welcomed a star of the future.

A birdie on Carnoustie’s 18th hole – the toughest in golf – was a fitting way for Sandy Lyle to bow out of The Open Championship.

He is such a modest guy that he doesn’t like to boast about his achievements – so I’ll do it for him.

Open Champion, Masters Champion, Players’ Champion, World Matchplay winner, threetime European Tour Order of Merit winner.

I shared a house with him in Sandwich on the week that Sandy won The Open at Royal St George’s in 1985, and I remember having breakfast together on the Sunday morning. Then, after Sandy had won the Claret Jug, we went back to Wentworth and had a big party in the evening.

One of my biggest regrets from my time as Ryder Cup captain is that I didn’t have Sandy in my team.

Sadly, his golf wasn’t good enough to justify a pick at that time, yet no-one had more admiration for him than me.

While Sandy’s Open journey is ending, this is the first step on the right path for young amateur, Sam Locke.

To come through prequalifying, and then win the Silver Medal on his first appearance, is a terrific performance.

At 19 years old, he has a bright future.

We have seen other Scots do well as amateurs at The Open and then never be seen again, but I’m confident that won’t happen with Sam.

Having a former Open Champion in Paul Lawrie to mentor him is such a big help.

Others won’t have benefited from the same quality of advice, as Paul will know what works and what doesn’t.

It’s just a pity there hasn’t been a Scottish pro involved on Scottish soil this weekend.

It would have been nice if Russell Knox had made it, but he had a very difficult draw on the first two days with Tiger Woods and Hideki Matsuyama.

Russell has also played a lot of golf in the last few weeks in France, Ireland and Scotland, and he just looked like someone who was running out of steam.

But having won the Irish Open, it has still been a very successful trip back to Europe for the Florida-based player.

The other Scottish star of the week has been Carnoustie itself.

It’s a very fair, but very tough golf course. When you walk off the 18th green, you get exactly the score you deserve.

The one thing you need there, above all, is patience. Players without that went home early. Jon Rahm was the classic example. He was going very nicely at three-under after six holes of his second round. But the young Spaniard got too aggressive. He drove out of bounds on the seventh, ran up a triple bogey seven and went into a tailspin.

He showed his immaturity with seaside golf. Links golf is more of a defensive game, where you must avoid making mistakes.

And at somewhere like Carnoustie, you simply cannot go chasing a score.

That is a lesson all the contenders for the Claret Jug would do well to remember ahead of today’s final round.