Bradley Neil believes he’s already been vindicated on important decisions for his future as he aims to be the next big thing in Scottish golf.
The 18-year-old from Blairgowrie won’t defend his Scottish Boys’ title won at Monifieth last year when the championship is held at West Kilbride next week, even though he is eligible to do so, preferring to aim higher.
Instead he’ll play in the Scottish Champion of Champions at Leven and the Duncan Putter in Wales an event traditionally targeted by the Great Britain and Ireland selectors and aim for the stream of events in May and June that form the centrepiece of the amateur golf season.
And it was a taste of the professional tournament life for a week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship that convinced Bradley to map out 2014 even before 2013 had ended.
“It was a great week, my first taste of a top European Tour tournament and it’s definitely something I want to try again this season if possible,” said Neil of his week as amateur partner to Peter Uihlein.
“I had the TV coverage taped and I’ve watched back the shots I hit quite a few times.
“It certainly gave me motivation to take my golf as far as I can and hopefully make it into events like that as a professional in future.”
He and Uihlein fell just short of winning the team prize in the Dunhill and the US star was so impressed that he gifted the £10,000 prize money to the Scottish Golf Union to assist with Bradley’s development.
However, that performance and Brad’s season as a whole meant he, his parents and national coach Ian Rae had a long sit-down to work out hispriorities, and decided they lay at home and in the men’s events in 2014.
“I put so much into Monifieth last year, all the practice rounds and preparation and I don’t regret it for a minute because it was an event I so much wanted to win,” he said of his victory over friend and rival Ewan Scott in last year’s
final.
“However, we agreed that my focus should be on men’s events this year, and a week at West Kilbride risks taking so much out of you.
“I would have missed two men’s events if I’d played there so, with the big run of top events starting with the Lytham Trophy in June, it made sense to give it a miss.”
In addition, the Neils and Rae also decided that it would be best if Bradley didn’t take up offers to go and play college golf in the USA.
“That was a tough one because I had a lot of great offers from some really great places,” he said.
“I don’t doubt that it would have helped me with my golf, but my progress here had been so good last season that I didn’t want to risk upsetting it.
“Settling into a new lifestyle and the studying as well might have distracted me a bit, while back here I could take advantage of the SGU’s warm-weather training in the Gulf and South Africa.”
Top three finishes in all three top ranked events he’s played in, including a play-off victory to secure the Nations Cup in Spain for Scotland, have proved that was the correct decision already, he believes.
“The way I’ve played so far this season proves it was better to stay at home, and the plan is to target the same in men’s events this year,” he continued.
“My main target is to be on the Scottish men’s six for the European Team Championships in July, but I also want to get into the Great Britain and Ireland team in the St Andrews Trophy as well and the
Junior Ryder Cup team at Blairgowrie as well.”
“Playing on the European Tour again would be great, but a clash between the European Teams in Finland in July and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, plus there being no Johnnie Walker Championship because of the Ryder Cup means the chances are limited.
“It’s a shame there’s a clash between the European Teams and the Scottish Open but if I had to make the choice I really couldn’t let the SGU down,” he said.
“Hopefully there might be an opportunity in the Dunhill again which would be great, but my whole focus is on the big amateur events this year.”