Scotland’s amateur golfers start their homecoming for 2014 on the famous Barry Links of Panmure Golf Club as they gather for the Carrick Neil Scottish Strokeplay Championship today.
The prestigious championship is the first after the end of the competitive college season in the USA, meaning for most of the exiled players this is the first action back home of the major European amateur circuit, which began at the start of the month at Lytham.
Two leading Scots who featured in last weekend’s NCAA finals battling for the US college national titles, Royal Burgess’ James Ross and Chris Robb of Inchmarlo, will not be playing, but Scotland’s top player in the world rankings, Grant Forrest, will make his return.
The 21-year-old from the Craigielaw club has just finished his third year at San Diego University and won three times in the US this year, taking him to a high of 39th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, although he has since slipped outside the top 50.
“It’s been really good in America. I set myself the challenge of winning six times on the college circuit at the end of my time at San Diego, and that’s me halfway there now ahead of my final year,” he said.
“I’m pleased with where I am on WAGR but the next couple of weeks offer a chance to move up, as I’d like to get into the top 50 again.
“If I can do that after The Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush, I would then be exempt for the US Amateur. It would be nice to play in that as it’s a big, big tournament.
“I missed the cut in the Scottish Stroke Play last year at Southerness so it would be good to play better at Panmure. I’ve never played there competitively, but hopefully learned a lot in practice yesterday.”
Scotland’s big performers on the amateur circuit so far this season, Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil and Jamie Savage of Cawder, are both in the field.
Bradley has moved to 77th on the WAGR after three top three finishes in big events in 2014, including a podium finish at the Lytham Trophy. He will have good memories of the Angus links as he won his Scottish Boys Championship title over the fence at Monifieth last year.
The man he beat in the final in April 2013, Ewan Scott of St Andrews, makes his return to action at home after completing his first year at the University of Chattanooga.
Savage won the Irish Amateur Strokeplay title two weeks ago at Royal Dublin, the first Scots winner of a top order amateur event for five years, since Gavin Dear won the same title in 2009.
Among the other Scottish contenders is a former champion in Barry Hume, who won in 2002 at Southerness and last year regained his amateur status having played in the Open Championship twice as a professional.
It’s however six years since there was a native winner of the national strokeplay title Wallace Booth at the Duke’s St Andrews in 2008 and as usual there is a strong international presence.
The top-ranked player in the WAGR in the field being England’s Ryan Evans, currently in ninth place, who is seeking to succeed countryman Garrick Porteous as champion. Jimmy Mullen of Royal North Devon, who played all four rounds of the Open at Murifield last July, is another contender.
Wales’ Walker Cup hopeful Rhys Pugh is also there, along with South Africa’s no 1 Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
The first two rounds are played over Panmure today and Saturday, with the top 40 and ties qualifying for Sunday’s final two rounds.