George Murray wasn’t guaranteed a place in his first BMW PGA Championship until the 11th hour, but the European Tour rookie from Fife was on his way south even before he got the confirmation.
“I learned I was in on Monday morning and was absolutely delighted, but I was coming down even if I hadn’t got the call,” he said.
“That ash cloud was floating around and I knew I was close on the entry list, so I was taking absolutely no chances.”
The former Scottish amateur champion from Anstruther played in the Scottish Open as a result of his national title win in 2005, but this is easily the biggest event he has played in.
Murray has struggled to establish himself in his first season and lies 180th on the Race to Dubai, but his Challenge Tour success last year means he still has plenty of chances ahead.
“This season’s been pretty poor so far, to be honest,” he admitted. “I’ve been hitting the ball all right, but struggling with the putter although I think I’ve figured that out.
“It’s not been nerves or acclimatising to the big tour. I think you have to play your own game whatever the level you are on and not get distracted by anything off the course although that’s hard to do here because it’s all so massive.
“Doing well here would be great because of the extra money, but it’s true of most events, and my category gives me a lot of chances still.
“I’ve got a chance of the French and Scottish opens, and it looks like I’ll get in the Dunhill, and I can’t wait to play as a pro on home ground that week.”‘Me and the golf course’Murray’s countryman Scott Jamieson has fared much better, with a top-50 position in the tour rankings, which gained him one of two current-form invitations into the tour’s flagship event, and he shares the Fifer’s “me versus the course” mentality.
“I always felt like if I played well I should be able to hold my own out here, but I have been pleasantly surprised to get off to such a good start,” said the 27-year-old Glaswegian.
“There is a lot of extra stuff going on away from the golf course, but I still view it as me and the golf course and if I maintain that mentality I should be okay.”
That was tested to the full in the Spanish Open, where he led after the first round and went on to finish third-a result that probably secures his playing rights for next season.
“In Barcelona having the cameras on me was a new experience, but I was pleased with the way I handled that,” he said. “I just kept telling myself it was just me and the golf course and it was just another 18 holes.
“My targets are still rookie of the year and the top 60 in the Race to Dubai, and if I do well this week I can take the rest of the year off.”
“I’m not going to though. This is the toughest I have played this year, and it’s good to be here with the four major winners and the three top players in the world.
“It’s why you play golf, to challenge yourself against the best. Mixing with the big names breeds confidence and the more you do that the more comfortable you will feel in that environment.”