Why golf isn't just about the big names as Scots make headway on feeder tours

As this person was English, I was actually quite chuffed they’d noticed that I do pay proper attention to how Scottish golfers are performing, both at home and abroad, because that’s my job and, therefore, take pride in having a platform to share news of how players flying the Saltire are performing.

No-one, of course, is doing better in that respect at the moment than Bob MacIntyre and, on the back of playing in last year’s Ryder Cup and now becoming a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, there’s a huge appetite out there in terms of people wanting to read stories about the popular Oban man.

I sincerely hope that I can keep covering his career for a few more years because you get the feeling that even bigger things lie ahead, but, at the same time, I will continue to take equal satisfaction from seeing other Scots achieving success and, as an example, the past few days have been a great reminder about exactly why it’s so rewarding to report on various tours and not just the ones that get most of the spotlight.

Set up by Paul Lawrie to provide playing opportunities for Scottish-based players during the Covid pandemic and now an official feeder circuit for the Challenge Tour, the Tartan Pro Tour has thrown up some cracking tales in recent years, the latest being the re-emergence of Graeme Robertson as an exciting talent.

As an amateur, the Glenbervie player was a Great Britain & Ireland squad member and also played on the same Palmer Cup team as Thomas Pieters against a US side that included Justin Thomas at Royal County Down in 2012.

He was the favourite when losing in the final of the 2014 Scottish Amateur Championship at Downfield, soon after which Robertson took up a job working as a sales person in the building trade. Becoming a father was his main reason for making that decision and the former European Universities’ champion deserves enormous credit for facing up to reality at a time when he could easily have allowed his heart to rule his head by ploughing on in golf.

It wasn’t until three years ago - at the age of 33 - that Robertson decided that the time was right for him to take the plunge into the professional ranks and, boy, has it just got very exciting indeed for him as a step up to the Challenge Tour now beckons next season.

Which brings me nicely on to Daniel Young, who may have been a tad disappointed about being unable to convert a good chance to land his maiden win on the DP World Tour’s development circuit in Germany on Sunday but, at the same time, was quick to acknowledge that he’d handed himself a massive boost by simply being in the mix.

Ask any player who has competed on the Challenge Tour and they’ll tell you how difficult it is to be among the 20 who now secure promotion to the DP World Tour, with Young enjoying his best season so far when finishing 59th in the Road to Mallorca points table in 2020 but failing to finish in the top 100 twice since then.

From the start of the current campaign, though, it was evident that the 33-year-old Perth man was definitely ready to make some headway and, though a bit later than he may have envisaged, a first trip to the season-ending Grand Final has now effectively been secured after climbing to 26th in the standings on the back of sharing second spot at the weekend.

Another big week heading into the card shoot-out at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca at the end of next month and, lots of hard work coupled with travelling thousands and thousands of miles over the past few years, could well see Young make that ultimate step up on this side of the Atlantic.

Over on the other side of the pond, for most, of course, the PGA Tour is the Promised Land and, along with lots of others no doubt, I was delighted to see Sandy Scott take a significant step in his quest to be playing there one day by securing promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour next season.

It was job done for the Nairn man as he jumped into the top in the PGA Tour Americas Fortinet Cup standings after finishing second in the last event of the season, meaning he’ll join Russell Knox in flying the Saltire on the Korn Ferry Tour and could even be joining MacIntyre and Martin Laird on the PGA Tour as he’s exempt into the final stage of the Q-School later in the year.

Lots of people, myself included, felt Scott was always destined to make it to the top of the ladder and, though not quite there yet, he deserves credit nonetheless for overcoming not only the untimely hindrance of the Covid pandemic but also a nasty wrist injury to make real progress this season, adding, of course, to a memorable week for his younger brother Calum as he won the Silver Medal for leading amateur in the 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

Last but not least, hats off to Greig Hutcheon as well because, through keeping an eye on the seniors’ game, his breakthrough win on the European Legends Tour had only seemed a matter of time but talk about doing it in style, signing off with a course-record 64 at Le Touquet to win the Legends Open de France.

It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy and the same goes for Robertson, Young and Scott. There, that’s why it doesn’t just need to be about the big names all the time!