Ramsay left frustrated despite best finish of campaign in Tenerife

Richie Ramsay has his best finish of the European Tour season in Tenerife, but the three-time tour winner still feels he’s way behind the pace.

The 37-year-old from Aberdeen completed his Tenerife Open campaign with a four-under 67 for a total of 13-under and a share of 22nd, but he still feels frustrated and further behind than even the nine-shot margin between him and the winner, South Africa’s Dean Burmester.

“Finishing 30th or something, you might as well finish 100th,” he said. “The way the money works on tour at the moment there’s no advantage in 30th.

“You need to be aggressive and make birdies. Bottom line is I need to win a tournament.”

Ramsay has been top 10 in driving accuracy and in greens in regulation these last two weeks on the Spanish islands, but he has struggled with putting and the way the courses are set up.

“This one is a frustrating course for me, because my game is driving straight and it doesn’t help me,” he said. “There’s guys I’ve played with this week who hit it off the end of the world and there’s no advantage to being in play.

“They hit it off line and get away with it, they still can get it to the green and make birdie.”

However he knows that’s a common occurrence on tour for him, and that he needs to improve on converting the chances he creates.

“If I could putt better from 10 feet and in I’d be right in the mix,” he said. “At the moment I’m 20% in that and the average is 50%.

“I’m just not making enough putts. The positive is that I’m playing well and I can shoot a score like that (67) without putting well. If I start to putt better I’m in with a chance.”

The tour is staying in Tenerife on the same Golf Costa Adeje course for the Canary Islands Championship this week, and Ramsay at least has a foundation to build for the upcoming British Masters at the Belfry in a fortnight,

“That’s a big one,” he said. “This coming week I just need to read the greens better, and maybe be more aggressive into the greens.”

Burmester proved the second South African in successive weeks to win as his final round 63 allowed him to coast home with a five-shot margin over Poland’s Adrian Meronk and Kalle Samooja of Finland.

Scot Grant Forrest had a superb 64 to finish to push him up to 11 under and 33rd place, but his Saturday 75 cost him a far larger cheque. Scott Jamieson, who had the low round of the week with Friday’s 10-under 61, was unable to reproduce anything like that form in the other three rounds and finished on 13 under.

On the Challenge Tour in South Africa, Scot Ewen Ferguson was just a shot out of a play-off in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open after two 67s on the weekend.

The host nation’s JC Ritchie won from countryman Jacques Blaauw with a birdie on the first extra hole.

Richie Ramsay finished just outside the top 20.