What’s been your best day of the golf year so far? For me, it was a lovely Tuesday in June, in good company, watching some brilliant kids play at a favourite place.
The place was Scotscraig Golf Club in Tayport, where my late father was captain. The kids were playing in semi-finals of the Scottish Boys and Girls Championships.
The company was Barrie Douglas, the long-time captain of the Scottish Boys team and an unmatched enthusiast for the game in this country.
It was the last time I saw Barrie, who took suddenly ill in Spain less than a month later. He died in August, aged just 69, mourned by everyone in the Scottish game and especially all the players who passed through his teams.
What did we talk about that day? Well, on the lighter side – there was always a lighter side with Barrie – he told of the only time he’d been hit by a ball on the course being at Scotscraig. It was an inter county game, and the ball was hit by none other a legend than Ian Hutcheon. “Smack on the bonce, out like a light” recalled Barrie, laughing.
Barely 20 minutes after he’d related that story, we had to scamper to avoid being hit by a ball struck by Hannah Darling, on her way to becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Scottish Girls’ Championship. And we laughed some more.
But that afternoon, as always when we met, we talked about the guys who had come through the ranks and played in teams Barrie had managed, what they were doing now, if they were struggling, if they were thriving. If they were even in the game at all now.
Barrie had a special affection for his Perth and Kinross boys; Wallace Booth, Gavin Dear, Danny Young and Bradley Neil. Like all of us, he wanted all the Scots lads to succeed, but he was a shrewd enough judge of a golfer to know which of them had a better chance than others.
I mean, it was obvious when you heard of the quality of guys from other nations Barrie had seen come through the ranks. He told me of the first time he had seen Rory McIlroy, Thomas Pieters and Matteo Manassero, all as 16 year olds and younger.
He remembered seeing Jon Rahm just a handful of years before. “Somebody said to me, `you’ve got to see this guy hit the ball,’” he said. “The minute you saw him you knew he was going to be some player.”
Which Scottish guys had provoked the same kind of reaction? Well, none. Because these are once in a generation kind of players. Barrie spent his whole career in golf administration hoping for a Scottish Rahm or a McIlroy or even a Tommy Fleetwood. Sadly he never got to see one.
I thought about that last conversation with Barrie on Sunday night looking at some reactions to Connor Syme’s pro debut in the Portugal Masters.
It was some achievement, a tie for 12th in that company. As far as my exhaustive research can tell me, it’s the best pro debut by a Scot on the European Tour since Connor’s fellow Fifer Gordon Brand Jr in the 1982 Tunisia Open, and the first ever to shoot below 70 in all four rounds.
Is Connor our next best hope? I’d certainly like to think so – I’m kind of relying on him and Bradley Neil seeing me through to my retirement with long, successful professional careers.
He has all the tools. He has a superb support system underpinned by his Dad Stuart, a PGA pro.
But while he’s got all this going for him, he’s not the next Rory McIlroy, or Manassero, or Rahm (who is just a few months older).
Connor could be seriously good. But trying to quantify how good he is by saying he’s the best prospect since Stevie Gallacher, or since Monty or Sandy, does no-one any favours, and certainly not him.
The Portugal Masters was a great start, but only that. At the moment, he’s probably got an invitation into the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and being pretty well versed with the Old Course, he might do well there too.
But he’s got very little playing opportunities beyond that. It’s nearly certain he’ll have to go to Tour School or do his penance for at least a year on the Challenge Tour, hard yards that hopefully Bradley will emerge from with a big tour card this season.
Having a card doesn’t guarantee much either, as the real hard work only begins once you are there.
I’ve seen too many Scots I thought were can’t-fails and many more who I thought would at the very least be handy, hardened, regular big tour pros not even get close to making it.
Barrie, I suspect, had seen more than anyone. The standard he saw, and one which we should all appreciate, is incredibly high.
Even in our vaunted position as the Home of Golf, we have no right to expect tour success. We probably never did – Monty, Sam and Sandy, all successful for very different reasons, spoiled us.
So I have no expectations for Connor at all, other than he gives himself the best chance to succeed that he can.
Judge him slowly. And realistically.