Victor Veyret will be walking tall down the fairways of Le Golf National in the Ryder Cup in less than a month’s time, but his dream is to have it with club in hand in the future and he’s on the right track.
The 21-year-old from Chantilly dominated the field to win the Carrick Neill Scottish Strokeplay Championship on Gleneagles’ Kings Course despite strong winds again making the great old track as tricky as ever.
The 6 foot 6 inch tall Frenchman shot two rounds of 67 in the final two rounds to win by six strokes with a 12-under total of 268. Two behind after the first day, he moved into the lead in the second round and was never really challenged, the only player to record four rounds all under par over the three days
Veyret is the fourth Frenchman to win the Scottish Strokeplay title, following Francois Ilouz (1989), Romain Wattel (2011) and Paul Barjon (2012).
“It’s easily my biggest title in my career,” he said. “I’ve won the Italian Amateur before but this is much bigger.
“I’m not that great in windy conditions but I guess coming over here to play the British Amateur and the St Andrews Links Trophy so often I’ve got a bit of experience of that now.
“My biggest strength was my putting, I felt I had a chance of holing everything and the greens were so perfect.”
Victor will be at the Ryder Cup in his homeland next month and inside the ropes, as he’s been detailed as a scoreboard carrier for the week.
“I can’t wait to be there and to see the best players up so close,” he said. “It’s obviously a dream of mine to play in the Ryder Cup one day.”
The strengthening winds across the King’s Course worked to Veyret’s advantage but the highest world-ranked player in the field, Robin Dawson of Ireland, seemed to have the best chance to get closest.
One of two members of the Irish World Amateur Team Championship trio brought over by their Scottish coach Neil Manchip ahead of next week’s competition for the Eisenhower Trophy at Carton House near Dublin, the player ranked eighth in the world shot a new course record for the King’s of 63 in the morning third round.
“We made a deal in the morning that Neil would caddie for me on the morning round and for my team-mate Conor Purcell in the afternoon, and he certainly helped me in the third round,” said Dawson.
Back in 29 to complete his record – there’s a new tee at the 18th on the King’s on play for the first time this week – he started the final round four back of Veyret and birdied the second, but that was as close as he got.
“Conor had Neil on the bag in the afternoon and I definitely missed him,” added the Tramore player. “But the course was three or four shots harder this afternoon with the winds so strong.”
Purcell utilised Manchip – Irish national coach since 2005 and originally from Edinburgh – equally well and eagled the last for a 68 to claim second place on his own, one shot ahead of Scotland’s Euan Walker, who finished with two 70s to leave him in third.
“I had been strong tee to green the first couple of days but that wasn’t the case today, but it was a good overall performance over the week,” said the 23-year-old, who plays for Scotland in the Eisenhower Trophy next week.
“Victor was playing too well and got just too far ahead for me to really challenge him.”
