Momentum key for Scott as he aims to have many more years out on Tour
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Scott Jamieson’s debut season on the European Tour. And if the Scot has anything to do with it, he’s only halfway through his golfing journey.
It has been a consistent spell on Tour, highlighted by winning the Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa in 2013, and a best finish of 26th on the Race To Dubai in 2017.
But the 37- year- old is not resting on his laurels. He’s planning on using all the knowledge of a gnarled veteran to keep the next generation at bay.
The Glasgow golfer believes his game is more than good enough to compete as he searches for that second win and a first top- five finish since December, 2018.
“Thankfully, I feel like I’ve still got another 10 years where I won’t be limited, physically,” he told The Sunday Post.
“Maybe all these years on Tour will start to help me, and all that experience can be huge.
“There seem to be younger and younger faces on the driving range these days, but I don’t feel at any disadvantage.
“I feel like I’ve become a more consistent player as I’ve got older, in terms of making cuts. But I’ve not had as many big finishes.
“Everything is solid and trending in the right direction. It’s about sticking to the process and hoping for a few big weeks.
“I think one of those weeks is there. But golf is so fickle, it’s sometimes a case of seeing what the game wants to give you.”
One of Jamieson’s buzz words is “momentum”. It can work both ways, but once you have it, it’s about
capitalising. That is exactly what he feels when he sees Bob Macintyre’s development as Scotland’ s No. 1, and occupying a place in the world’s top 50.
Jamieson first encountered the Oban golfer as an amateur in Open qualifying, and he recognised the natural ability in the young left- hander, who has been on an upward curve ever since.
“I played with Bob at Glasgow Gailes a few years ago,” he recalled. “I said to my caddie at the time how good he looked.
“He was still an amateur, so he was a little raw and rough around the edges. But you expect that when
someone is so young. I knew there was a lot of talent there, so I’m not surprised that Bob (inset) has progressed the way he has.
“The momentum he has gathered in his first couple of years as a pro has kept going. I hope it keeps snowballing and he gets as high as he can in the rankings.
“That momentum is so important because once you lose that, you start asking questions about whether everything is still working in the right direction.”
While everyone is desperate for success, only a select few end up as tournament winners every season. Jamieson has learned over the years to take the positives out of every round, and not getting too high or low.
But while many sports can be judged by simply winning or losing, the player – who is now based in Florida with his wife, Natalie, and their three children – knows you have to use other barometers in golf.
“In our game, you can have weeks where you play well but you might finish 40th or 50th,” Scott admitted.
“Another week, you might finish in the top-10 and feel that you left a ton of shots on the course.
“Sometimes it’s hard to keep on that even keel. It can be easy to go off on the wrong road if you go on a dip.
“Yo u start working on something, and you may end up changing your caddie and your coach, and the whole dynamic changes.
“It can snowball from there, and soon you wonder what the hell has happened.
“You have to identify what you’re doing well. Most golfers perform well in three, four or fiveweek stretches, w and then dip off.
“But when you’ve got that momentum with you, 30th can turn into 15th or 15th into 8th. Those are small margins on the course, but it’s monumental in terms of money and points.
“We talk about that as a quarterofa- shot per round. That is one shot per tournament. Those are such fine lines to success.”