Ramsay’s sights set on golf’s ‘Holy Grail’

SCOTLAND’S Richie Ramsay has set his sights on the “Holy Grail” of golf after kick-starting his season with his best performance for more than two years.

Ramsay’s tie for second in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open was his first top-10 finish of the year and most i mpressive result since claiming the third of his European Tour titles in the Hassan Trophy in March 2015.

A closing 65 also gave Ramsay the biggest payday of his career, £466,000, secured a place in next week’s Open at Royal Birkdale and lifted him from 341st in the world to 170th.

The 34-year-old from Aberdeen is now focused on climbing into the world’s top 50 to book a second appearance in the Masters, having qualified in 2007 courtesy of his victory i n the previous year’s US Amateur.

“The top 50 is like the Holy Grail in golf,” Ramsay, who reached a high of 52nd in 2012, said ahead of this week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

“It changes your schedule and I’ve always wanted to play the Masters again. That’s my favourite golf course, my favourite event.

“I won’t lie, somebody asked me what were you thinking down the stretch in Ireland and you do think about the impact.

It’s a seven million dollar event. You think about the impact it can have if you win the event, like life-changing.

“You can go into the Majors or move up the Race to Dubai and you can play wherever you want. All of those things go through your head.

“World rankings come into it but every time I thought about that I moved back to what I had to do, focus on the shot and just pick off a yardage, pick the wind and focus on my process — and I did that well.

“I think top 50 starts with a solid foundation, which is a good plan. And then from there you have a team around you, which I feel that I’ve got, and just trying to execute.

“And I haven’t executed that well this year. However, I feel I’ve stayed really patient and just tried to do the day-to-day stuff well.”

Ramsay was sixth in last year’s Scottish Open at Castle Stuart and would love to be back in contention at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, which is hosting the event for the first time and boasts a field which includes Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler and defending champion Alex Noren.

“Last year I got the feeling coming down the stretch, playing some really good golf, trying to play to win,” Ramsay added. “When you hole putts, there’s different kinds of cheers. There’s more impetus.

“You realise it’s the Scottish Open, it’s a Major for us and careerdefining. Scottish Open, Dunhill Links, they are right there. Now we have it in the Rolex Series so the prize money, strength of field, all those i ngredients elevate t he tournament even more.”