Connor Syme continues to treat the European Tour like home – the only minor frustration is that he may not get another chance this year.
The 22-year-old from Drumoig, a professional for only three weeks, shot 11-under for his last 26 holes on the Old Course over the weekend of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, finishing in a tie for 15th place.
It was his second top 15 in two starts, a cheque for around £45,000 to add to the £26,000 he won in Portugal two weeks ago when he finished in a tie for 12th. It’s also the best start to a pro career by a Scot that anyone can remember.
Sunday’s 66 was basically Connor freewheeling after he did the hard work on Saturday, when with eight holes to play he faced missing the cut.
“I was up against it then, but I found something late yesterday and just stuck with that process,” he said of the run of five birdies in eight holes that saw him safely into the final round. He finished off yesterday birdieing the 9th – his 18th, for the second day in a row.
“The target today was just to try and shoot as low as possible, because there was nothing to lose.”
But the problem is there’s only one remaining chance of him getting another start on the European Tour, the Andalucia Valderrama Masters in two weeks, prior to his date at Stage Two of the Tour’s Qualifying School in November.
An invitation there might be hard to get with so many pushing for one – Sergio Garcia is the host – but Connor’s only been looking at Q School as his next definite appointment anyway.
“It’s not frustration, because I knew what I was getting into when I turned pro,” he said. “I mean, I can’t thank the European Tour and Dunhill enough for giving me the chance here this week, it’s a great opportunity to be playing European Tour events with no status so I’m delighted with that.
“You have to make the most of opportunities that come around, and I’ve done as much as I can. My team is working hard to get me invitations to play where they can.”
Meanwhile, Connor keeps his head straight and his feet on the ground despite the early successes showing that he looks like he belongs in this company.
“It’s certainly an encouraging start, but I definitely don’t want to get too far ahead of myself,” he stressed. “It’s a couple of good weeks and I knew I could shoot those scores as long as stuck to my process of doing what I do.
“You do that, pick the same numbers and do the same things, and nothing should change because it’s just another golf shot at the end of the day, if I keep my head. And I’ve managed to keep a level head so far.”
