Scott set for ‘surreal’ start to his professional career in Argentine Open

It’s been a long journey that has encountered some speed bumps along the way, but this week will finally see Sandy Scott make his professional debut – more than 7,000 miles from his beloved Nairn, writes Martin Dempster.

The 24-year-old starts an exciting new chapter in his career in the Visa Argentine Open in Buenos Aires, having secured a card for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica through one of the circuit’s recent qualifying tournaments. It’s a feeder circuit, with Scott hoping he can initially secure a step up to the Korn Ferry Tour then join Russell Knox and Martin Laird in flying the Saltire on the PGA Tour. The new PGA Tour Latinoamerica

season starts with back-to-back events in Argentina before the schedule has stops in Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico. “It’s under the PGA Tour umbrella,” said Scott. “The Latinoamerica feeds the Korn Ferry Tour and the Korn Ferry feeds the PGA Tour. The top five in order of merit progress to the Korn Ferry. “I’m just happy to have somewhere that allows me to put together a schedule and be able to get some tournaments under my belt and have an orderofmerittoworktowards. I’ve never been down to South America, so it’s an exciting new experience and a great place to start my journey.” On the back of an eye-catching amateur career on both sides of the Atlantic, Scott had been looking to set out in the professional world two years ago only to find those plans being put on hold due to the Covid pandemic. As he stayed on at Texas Tech – his younger brother Calum is there now and also making an impact on the US college circuit – to try to stay as competitive as possible, the 2019 Walker Cup player sustained a wrist injury and it’s taken lots of patience to arrive at this point. “You know, I’m so happy,” added Scott. “For a long time I wasn’t sure I was going to get here, so it feels a bit surreal, but I am delighted to be here now. “Patience has been the key over the last couple of years. I wouldn’t say I am a typically patient person, so I’d say these last two or three years I’ve learned more about myself than ever before.”