When you first win an event on the European Tour, it should be a source of celebration and inspiration. For Daniel Brooks, it was the complete opposite.
The 28-year-old surprise leader of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open is nursing a tidy advantage after yesterday’s 65 vaulted him to eleven-under, and if he rides that lead all the way to the trophy on Sunday night it will be his second tour title.
However it will certainly be vastly different to his first, the Madeira Open last year. Not only was that event reduced to 36 holes by strong winds, that edition of the jointly sanctioned event with the Challenge Tour is chiefly remembered for the tragic on-course death of Alastair Forsyth’s caddie Iain “Mac” McGregor.
“It was a win, I guess, but there was no way to celebrate it after what happened to Mac,” said Brooks.
He didn’t celebrate for the remainder of that year either, missing all 15 cuts in the events that followed all the way until the end of the 2014 season, and had run up another streak of 13 in a row before he finally made the weekend in France last week. In all, he’s missed 30 cuts over two seasons.
“The last few weeks have definitely been better,” he said, with considerable understatement. “It’s hard to miss that many cuts, it definitely gets you down.
“Madeira feels like a long time ago now. I’ve played some terrible golf since then.
“But it only takes one good week out here. I’ve been there, done that already, although there are obviously a few big names out there and to be leading is a bit of a bonus, really.”
Playing in the 52nd and last group on Thursday, he put together a 64 with three birdies in the last five holes to move into second on his own. Yesterday he eagled the second and birdied the last two holes to stretch his lead for the weekend.
“Will I sleep tonight? I have no problem sleeping, I get plenty practice,” he laughed.