Warren sure best is yet to come
● Confident Scot – who’s been in contention at Gullane before – is predicting a bright future
Marc Warren believes his best golfing years lie ahead and aims to prove that by producing another strong Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open performance at Gullane.
In the event’s first visit to the East Lothian venue in 2015, Warren closed with a six-under-par 64 to finish joint-fourth behind Rickie Fowler as the American proved a popular winner.
It was the third time that Warren had got himself in the mix in his home Open, having tied for third at Castle Stuart and Royal Aberdeen in 2012 and 2014 respectively, and he’s hoping more opportunities will come his way.
“There’s hopefully and definitely more to achieve,” said the 37-yearold Glaswegian, a World Cup winner with Colin Montgomerie, three-time European Tour winner and two-time Seve Trophy player. “If you’d asked me ten years ago what I wanted to achieve then I’d have liked to have done more than I have. But I still can be proud of what I’ve achieved. Whether or not it’s true, I still believe my best years are ahead of me.
“The standard of golf from top to bottom is getting higher and that makes it difficult. Younger guys are getting on Tour and winning sooner. Guys are looking after themselves better and looking after themselves well into their 40s.
“It used to be just one or two guys, but Henrik Stenson is 42 and Phil Mickelson won the WGC event in Mexico this year and Tiger Woods is back as well. It’s the same names but you don’t think of them as being in the 40s. They can inspire. Mentally, it used to be said that when you hit 40 your game goes south. But Vijay Singh bucked that trend and then Jack Nicklaus. You look at Nicklaus at the ’86 Masters [when he became the oldest Masters winner at 46] and Phil is now that age.”
Warren’s fellow players often talk about him being an unfulfilled talent. Does that annoy him or is he happy that people rate him? “It’s a bit of both,” he said. “I want to do better as well. I’d have liked to have done more by this age and this stage. It’s not through a lack of effort or trying.
“Guys are playing better for longer and it might just be the pieces come together a wee bit later on. There’s no point saying I played my best in the past. Otherwise there’s no point getting out your bed in the morning to practise.
“I believe what I’m doing now and technically where I’m at there’s not a lot of work to do and it’s a case of understanding it a bit better and then being calm enough to play rather than work on it while still on the golf course. It’s a pretty good stage to be at.”
This is Warren’s 14th Scottish Open appearance. He got off to a slow start with six missed cuts in a row before making it to the weekend in his next six starts, then made an unexpected early exit last year.
“I thought Dundonald would have been perfect for me as I practise there a lot, but I missed the cut by one,” he said. “I didn’t make the cut once at Loch Lomond, but since it started moving around I’ve played a lot better.
“Links courses suit my game a bit more. I feel comfortable playing in a bit of wind and having to hit a few different shots. I prefer that and Gullane is one of the best. The greens are immaculate.
“I’d heard that before we came here for the first time in 2015 and we weren’t let down on that front. Last time here I played pretty solid and had a good Sunday.
“After being out early, I went in for a sleep for half an hour. But, when I woke up, the wind had died a bit so my chances of winning had gone. But I’ve got good memories from that event.”
‘I’d have liked to have done more by this age. It’s not through a lack of effort’