THRILLS & spills
GOLF SPECIAL On the day the Scottish Open should be starting in earnest, Scots golfer Warren looks back on an event never lacking drama
WELCOME to Scotland. That was the message plastered all over a plethora of billboards at Castle Stuart back in 2011 as a bold new era began for the Scottish Open.
It was just a shame that by the time the tournament had reached its conclusion, most of the bunting had been blown halfway across the Moray Firth.
Curtailed to 54 holes due to storms having lashed the course and caused a landslip, it threatened to descend into a farce. It was almost the tournament that never was.
Having taken the decision to move the event away from Loch Lomond, which wasn’t an overly popular move at the time, Marc Warren can recall the new-look event getting off to a somewhat inauspicious start.
‘The weather was just incredible in terms of how bad it actually was. Mind you, can you imagine how wet it would have been at Loch Lomond?’ quips Warren.
Loch Lomond was long held as a fabulous venue, a jewel in the crown of the European Tour. Its lush parkland turf, however, was notoriously prone to becoming waterlogged.
‘We had rented a house and were staying locally around the Inverness area,’ adds Warren. ‘We just spent the day wandering around town when it got called off on the Saturday.
‘It was a surreal feeling because you knew there was supposed to be a golf tournament on. A few of the players basically just went for a wander around Inverness.
‘We knew it had been abandoned for the day and the weather was so bad that it’s not like we could go out on the range and practise. We had nothing to do, really.
‘It was to the left of the first hole where it had all slid down and made a mess of the fairway. Looking at it when it happened, you’d have thought it was just going to be a write-off.
‘There was no chance that it looked like we’d be able to play for the rest of the week. But fair play to the greens staff. They did an outstanding job to get us back up and running again.’
It’s safe to say that the Scottish Open has recovered in fine style since those tentative first steps away from the Bonnie Banks.
In a parallel universe, the great and the good of world golf would be teeing it up at the Renaissance Club this morning as the tenth edition of the new-look format got underway.
Warren would have been among them as he looked to capture a title that has so far eluded him — often by the barest of margins.
The laid-back Glaswegian has often found himself competing at the sharp end of the tournament at the various venues which have since replaced Loch Lomond.
He agonisingly let a three-shot lead slip from his grasp down the stretch at Castle Stuart in 2012 as India’s Jeev Milkha Singh took the spoils in a play-off against Francesco Molinari. Warren again held a share of the overnight lead heading into the final round at Royal Aberdeen in 2014, only to lose out to Justin Rose and finish third.
Then, in 2015 at Gullane, a stunning final round of 64 saw him come out of nowhere from eight shots back to almost take glory on home soil. On that occasion, though, Warren found himself buried under a tide of birdies and all-round brilliance from American superstar Rickie Fowler as he finished two shots adrift.
‘I finished early in the day,’ said the 39-year-old, who is currently in Austria as he gears up for a season comprising of both European and Challenge Tour events as he aims to regain his full playing rights.
‘I played well and posted a good number, so I had to wait to see what was going to happen.
‘I looked like I was in a decent position and maybe had half a chance.
‘I was out a couple of hours before the leaders and was clubhouse leader when I got in. But Rickie and Matt Kuchar just pulled clear in the end. They kept making birdies, unfortunately for me!
‘It was a brilliant finish from Rickie, to be fair. I remember he absolutely stiffed a wedge at the last to basically leave a tap-in birdie to win it.’
Fowler’s finish capped off a glorious week at Gullane. In truth, there have been thrills and spills aplenty as the event has gone from strength to strength over the past decade.
The links venues are now resoundingly popular with both players and fans alike. And it’s little wonder, given the highlights reel they have created.
Four of the ten years have seen the tournament decided by a sudden-death play-off which has often seen the drama extend into the early evening.
The pick of the bunch was perhaps Phil Mickelson’s triumph
The first hole was a mess. We thought the whole tournament would be a write-off
over Branden Grace at Castle Stuart back in 2013.
A shot which will live long in the memory, Mickelson’s pitch from a dusty, bare lie at the side of the green zipped back to a couple of inches as Lefty won it at the first extra hole.
As the tournament returned to Gullane in 2018, it was Grace’s South African compatriot Brandon Stone who delivered a display of unrelenting brilliance.
Stone narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole which would have seen him shoot a final round of 59. Still, a four-shot victory was a stellar effort.
The sunset in the Scottish summer skies often glows and glistens on the trophy — and Warren is thrilled that his home event has exploded into a sort of ‘mini major’ over the past decade.
‘Listen, I’ve been fortunate to play golf courses all over the world,’ he says. ‘As far as venues go, it really doesn’t get much better than Loch Lomond. ‘The Scottish Open was lucky to be there for a number of years. I thoroughly enjoyed playing there and I know a lot of players felt the same way.
‘But you look at the way the event has really moved on to a new level over the past ten years or so. It has evolved into one of the biggest events on Tour.
‘The fact that you’re now playing on some of the best links courses in the country has been a massive part of that.
‘There’s also the fact that it’s offering you the chance to play competitive links golf just a week before The Open Championship. That has been another huge factor. When you look at the calibre of player and money on offer, it’s a major in all but name. It gets the pulse racing — more so for me as a home player. ‘The calibre of player involved now speaks for itself. The money that has been put into it, as well, is second to none thanks to Aberdeen Standard Investments. ‘The backing they’ve given the event has been incredible. It’s now one of the Rolex Events and is one of the most lucrative on the European Tour. ‘I’m a big fan of the new set-up and the way it’s been moving around the country. It gives you the chance to play and see some of the best courses in Scotland. ‘I like the fact that it doesn’t go back to the same venue year after year, where it might lose something. ‘This keeps it fresh and offers something new every year. Fingers crossed we’ll get back to it in the new slot in October.’