Portuguese Masters

My first tournament as a professional and I must admit, its more excitement than nerves that were felt at the start of the week. It was a fresh start for me with new goals and ambitions. I never had the aim to become the best amateur golfer in the world, that didn’t bother me, I just wanted to be high enough to be the first on the team sheet and exempt into anything I wanted to play. I achieved that goal, getting to a high of 5^th in the WAGR. Now a new journey starts, from 5^th to outside the top 1500 and I couldn’t be more excited for the challenge. It’s going to be a tough journey but one I’m prepared to give my all to. Everything I have achieved as an amateur is now irrelevant and I begin at the bottom of the food chain, I’m just a name on an entry list now and that’s what excites me. I have the chance to make a name for myself in a new arena with no pressure or expectation, I’m here to give it everything I have and see where it takes me.

For those who read my previous post, you will remember me writing about how quick this start came about in Portugal and how excited I was sat in the airport. Well the week got off to a rough start really. A three-hour delay on the flight meaning I missed my courtesy ride from the tour when landing in Faro and had to get a taxi. However, a cool thing happened in that I was sharing that ride with Tom Lewis, who won this tournament in one of his first few starts and hasn’t really looked back since. A nice person and obviously a highly skilled golfer, it was great to get to speak to someone who has been in this position himself.

We stopped at his hotel on the course and it looked amazing, a lovely place to stay, then off we went to where I was staying. On the web it said it was an apartment, family room with 3 beds, a shower and a kitchen all there. However, when I arrived and was shown to my room it was clear very quickly that it wasn’t what I had expected or booked. The pictures online made it look like a nice apartment in a villa or complex, perfectly suitable for what I needed. Shown to my room I was quick to notice that the shower promised wasn’t in the room and it was in fact a shared shower, there was no TV in the room and the kitchen was for everyone’s use. Two single beds lie side by side with a bunk bed in the corner, not quite the family room that was advertised or pictured. It was actually like the army barracks you see in some military films, maybe the alarm clock would be a bucket of water and a 5 mile run with my clubs on my back? It wasn’t great.

I think I slept about two hours that night as the bed wasn’t great and I could hear people snoring and moving around, the only thing I could think about was how I could get out of here and stay somewhere else. Fortunately, my mums partner Jim was coming out to caddie this week and when I showed them the room and situation he was kind enough to help resolve the problem. By 8am I was booked into the Dom Pedro Golf down by the Marina and I couldn’t get there quick enough. What a 24 hours I had had and I hadn’t even hit a golf ball yet.

My practice that day went well, a long putting session getting used to the greens and then a long game session checking all my fundamentals using drills Simon and I like to use. The place was amazing and a perfect place to welcome me to golf as a professional. I had a lovely lunch and then headed out on the course and it was very clear to me that the course could suit me, requiring accurate tee shots and good putting. I learned a lot that day but just tired towards the end from the lack of sleep and heat so I headed back for some food and a good nights sleep.

Jim arrived on Wednesday and I made the most of the Trackman guys to do some good pitching work. Something that I feel really helps me get ready for a week and every time I have been able to access a trackman to do yardage work, I felt comfortable going into the week. I had a real good day and wrapped things up early and headed to the physios to get a massage and chat about my gym programme with Dan. It was the perfect prep for me really, I got everything sorted that I wanted to do in the early part of the week and I was ready for whatever came my way.

Thursday Morning came by quickly, the 5am alarm clock went off and I was up in a flash. A quick shower, a bowl of cereal and then my usual stretching routine that takes around 20 minutes to complete. I knew it was likely to be dark at the course but I like to be early and get the pins marked in my yardage book and get myself comfortable with the surroundings for the day. I didn’t anticipate beating the tour officials to the office and not being able to get pins until 6:30, nor the range marshals not having the range set until 6:40 but this is life on tour I guess. You make it work. During the winter, I worked on three warm ups, a short one, a medium one and a full warm. I done this for reasons like this, and for when it is freezing at Lytham in May, so I knew what I was going to be doing and went about my warm up as usual.

By 7:30 I was on the tee and meeting the starters, scorers and scoreboard carriers. I was ready, comfortable and just excited to get going. My name was announced third and I think I heard maybe one-person clap, potentially just a marshal too. This was comfortably the smallest crowd on the first tee I have had in over a year further reminding myself that I would be starting this journey at the bottom and working my way up. I leaked the tee shot right, my second rested 35 foot from the pin and my putt I raced 5 foot past. I honestly think this is probably the most important putt I have hit in a while, I’m starting a new chapter and didn’t want to set off with a three putt. I holed the putt and went through the round comfortably, barely missing a shot until the 11^th where I missed the green from a poor lie. As things would go, I actually holed the pitch for a birdie three and proceeded to make a good up and down on the next hole for a par also.

My first hiccup was on the 14^th where I caught my tee shot slightly from the toe and found the hazard. I took my medicine and opted to lay up to my yardage band and hit the pitch to 8 feet. Unfortunately, I didn’t make the putt but I knew there were chances on the course and one came on 17. A great drive set up a 5 wood to the par 5 which I hit to 25 feet and holed for eagle, my momentum was back and a par up the last got me round in three under. What a way to start a career.

My second round wouldn’t run so smoothly. I felt great in the warm up and was hitting the ball nicely, ready to go post a nice score. I got on the first tee and hit what I felt was a great tee shot, just over the right fairway bunker but it somehow made its way into the rough. A slightly iffy lie meant that I had to play for a flier, I misjudged how big that flier would be and ended up going long of the green in the worst spot around the green. In hindsight, I should have gone super safe and made sure I came up short and just chipped up the green. I started my second round with a double bogey six and wasn’t all that chuffed.

I battled away the whole round and got back to level for the day after nine holes having hit 7 iron into the 590 yard par 5 17^th and proceeded to making birdie. Some poor driving on my inward nine made it tricky to make birdies and I drew some bad lies and made two bogeys. Needing a birdie, birdie finish to have a chance of making the cut I hit a lovely shot into the Par 3 8^th, but unfortunately shaved the hole with the putt. The 9^th hole I hit my second to 4 feet and made the putt for birdie, resulting in missing the cut by one shot.

It’s not the first time I have missed a professional cut by one, and probably won’t be the last, but it shows me that I am close to the level I need to be. Many great players missed the cut this week and I feel confident I am good enough to be at this level. I just need to go out there and do it now.

Thankfully I get to have another go next week at the Spanish Challenge on the Challenge Tour. I’m looking to build on this week and hopefully have a great week.

Scott