Marc Warren’s been agonisingly close to two of the last three Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Opens but takes inspiration from the man who “simply played better than him” last year.
Justin Rose swept in to Gullane from prepping at St Andrews yesterday to defend the title he won at Royal Aberdeen last year, when he played in the last group with the Scot and overhauled him with a closing 65.
It was the second time Warren had to settle for a podium finish rather than his national open title, but a whole lot less hurtful than the first one in 2012, when he surrendered a three shot lead with four to play at Castle Stuart.
“2012 was a positive experience but it obviously hurt a lot at the time,” recalled the Scot. “I took a lot of that experience and learning going into last year’s final round and although I didn’t win on that occasion, I felt really comfortable and it wasn’t down to me.
“Watching how Justin closed it out in the lead helped me massively when I had the lead in Denmark the following month and I was fortunately able to get over the line there and get the win.”
Warren is now poised to take over Stephen Gallacher’s mantle as the leading Scot of the moment – “I think I’ll wait until I’ve passed him in the rankings until I wind him up about, he’s not a bad player and I don’t want to upset him” and it’s the adversity he suffered at Castle Stuart and in losing his card a couple of years before that has moulded him, he believes.
“Coming through those things certainly makes you more robust mentally if you can get through the other side,” he said.
“You are either going to go one way or the other and I was determined to not fall by the wayside.
“When I fell off tour I tried to get back the hard way through invites and a good finish at the Dunhill pretty much secured my card.
“No matter what happens in the rest of my career that was the toughest tournament of my life.
“That was why Castle Stuart probably didn’t affect me too much long-term. I had absolutely no doubt about myself under pressure as I had come through a week like that and finished fifth when my job was literally on the line.”
Rose, meanwhile, doesn’t think he knows it all about putting tournaments to bed.
“You’re learning all the time,” he said. “I think I could have closed a bit better at the Memorial Tournament last month.
“But it’s great to be back at a tournament as defending champion. It’s a bit different because you are not playing the same golf course as the year before but nonetheless it’s the same style of golf and we’re looking forward to the two weeks ahead.”
Rose went to St Andrews for a day and a half “it was great to have the place virtually to ourselves with the stands and the leaderboards up” but will be dialled into this event come Thursday.
“We’re all looking forward to next week, but when Thursday comes we’re all competitive and we’ll focus on this championship,” he said.
As for the missing Rory McIlroy, Rose believes that he shouldn’t change his attitude.
“There’s a lot of pressure on all of us and you have to be able to get your release,” he said. “In order to switch on 100 percent you have to be able to switch off 100 percent as well.
“The most daredevil thing I do now is spear-fishing where I live in the Bahamas, but for Rory he’s got to keep doing what he’s been doing with his life.
“I think he’s the kind of guy that if he practised 24/7 he’d get too much in his own head and it’s not going to help him. That’s not the way he plays, he plays really free and that doesn’t go hand in hand with someone who wraps himself up in cotton wool and practises all day without doing anything else to enjoy himself.”