Marc Warren got so close to winning the Scottish Open two years ago that his eventual loss might be a recurring bad dream, but he has a philosophy about them.
“They say winners are dreamers who never gave up,” he said after his 67 at Royal Aberdeen leaves him well placed at the end of the first round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, and the leading Scot.
That year at Castle Stuart Warren was three shots clear with five to play but eventually didn’t even feature in the play-off won by Jeev Milkha Singh.
Last year he lost the Spanish Open from a leading position and then a three-way play-off for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
This year has been a quieter one so far for the 33-year-old, but a return to links with his eight-under 63 to qualify at Glasgow Gailes for next week’s Open, and a change of coach to Alan McCloskey seems to have got the juices flowing again.
“I was with Pete Cowen before but Peter travels a lot and I felt I wasn’t getting enough time to progress, maybe even going backwards slightly,” he said.
“Now I have started working with Alan, who has Scott Jamieson and Stephen Gallacher and he’s done a great job with those two. And I feel it’s a lot more simple now.
“I am doing a lot more work on the practice range, I can take straight on to the course, and if your head is in a good place and you are not thinking too much about technique you can handle days like today better.”
Twelve-under for his last two rounds of links golf certainly augurs well, but he knows that demons lie in wait.
“This championship has a major feel to it with the field that is here and the golf course we are playing, so it is easy to motivate yourself,” he continued.
“Focus and motivation is the biggest thing I can improve on, and links golf helps with that, you can’t take your eye off the ball or you will run up a lot of big numbers.”
As for two years ago, he would relish the chance to do it again.
“Having come so close does give me that little bit more motivation,” he said.
“I am not one to back down from anything. I would like to give it another shot, to be honest when I finished that day I just wanted to go back to the 14th tee.
“At the end of the day I can’t change it. But I can dream about changing it, and that’s one of the things I’ll be doing this week, I’ll be dreaming of winning this tournament.”
Russell Knox has a little less links experience than Warren, but had every right to be delighted with his first round as a pro in his homeland, a three-under 68 made in the midst of the toughest conditions.
“They did move a few tees up, so it didn’t play as hard as it could have,” he said.
“The wind’s not too bad and pin positions are fair, if you get through a couple of tricky holes. But I wanted the full experience coming back home.”
The first tee at Royal Aberdeen is famously tight to the clubhouse window, which makes it second only to the first at the Old Course for those of a nervous disposition.
However they’ve been unable to get spectators close to it, so at 7.30am it was a bit sparse.
“It was quite quiet on the first tee, a bit surreal,” he said.
“I had prepared myself for being more nervous than I was, which is a tactic that tends to work for me. Someone told me once you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable to be good at professional golf.
“And to be honest after my first time at the 17th at Sawgrass this year, every shot seems easier.”
Alastair Forsyth’s one-under 70 was admirable for the way he bounced back from a triple bogey seven on the fifth, that after he thought he was moving into gear.
“I’d missed a couple of chances so instead of being one or two under, I hit a half shank and ended up three-over after five,” he said.
“But I’m pleased with myself for coming right back with two birdies, and that took the seven out of my thinking straight away.”
Oddly, the two-time tour winner had never played Royal Aberdeen before he got a sponsor’s invitation to play on Monday.
“They started playing the Scottish Boys here the year after I moved up, but I’m not sure I’d remember it from that far back anyway,” he said.
The locals sadly had a day to forget in front of their own folk.
Richie Ramsay made his tee time despite his shoulder problem and battled hard, but a double bogey six on the 14th eventually pushed him back to a 75.
Young David Law was going along nicely until an eight at the 7th threw him out of his stride, eventually finishing with a 78.
Paul Lawrie, playing a tour event in his beloved home town at last, rattled off par after par before a including a fine escape at the 15th, before he finally bogeyed the 16th.
A triple bogey six followed at the short 17th but he bounced back with a birdie at the last for a 74.
Stephen Gallacher suffered a mid-round slump of five shots dropped in five holes before he drove the 15th green to five feet and holed the eagle putt, eventually finishing one-over.