The generational gap – the lost generation if you must – of Scottish tournament professional golf seems like it may be about to be filled at last, even if the banners coming into Aviemore might be a little premature.
Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston and Ewen Ferguson feature on the billboards as you pull through the heart of the Highlands towards the Spey Valley course and while all three are relative novices even on the Challenge Tour, the message seems to be that there’s a wave coming.
The gap we’ve all be concerned with was somewhat bridged this season with Bradley Neil and Connor Syme’s emergence on to the European Tour, which ended a long spell in which there were no Scots on the big circuit under 30 years of age.
Forrest (25 this week), Johnson (25) and Ferguson (still only 21) are poised on the Challenge Tour to make that jump as well, with home advantage this week at the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels, the event won by double US Open champion Brooks Koepka just five years ago.
Forrest is seventh on the rankings, with two second places so far this season including a narrow loss in a play-off just last week, Johnson is 15th, having beaten Forrest to win the Costa del Sol Matchplay event in April. Ferguson lies 26th, well within shooting range of the 15 cards available for next year’s big tour.
Forrest admitted to being a little startled by seeing himself so prominently on his arrival and on the promotional flyers around the town.
“I thought, who is that ugly fella up there?” he joked. “It’s actually nice to see it, though.”
“I’m playing nicely and it’s good to come to an event with a bit of form,” he continued. “This has been a long stretch of golf, my tenth event in 11 weeks but I’ll take next week off, because I’m really looking forward to this.”
Grant’s two second places have put him in good position to achieve his goal of a big tour card, and he’s not going to distracted by anything else.
“I’m totally focusing on the Challenge Tour,” he said. “The week of the Scottish Open this year is the same week as a big event in Italy so even if it is near home at Gullane I’m going to stay on the Challenge Tour.
“You look at any of the guys who have kicked on from the Challenge Tour you can take a lot of confidence. If you can do well out here you know you can succeed at the next level. This event has had some really good champions, like Brooks Koepka, and that says a lot about the golf course itself.”
Johnson had to quickly recalibrate his goals for his first year on the Challenge Tour when he won in Spain, and is now doing them month-to-month.
“The goals were to have a top 10 and just have a Challenge Tour card for next year, so the pressure’s off now,” said the Dumfries player. “But you want to have that pressure on yourself, and obviously my main new goal is to stay in the top 15 and getg my European Tour card for next season.”
Johnston took advantage of playing a little practice with Paul Lawrie’s son Craig to get some tips from the great man himself, who had intended to play in this event but is still suffering from a foot injury.
“Paul walked round with us and it was nice to have him there and be able to feed off a major champion because I’ve never played here before,” he said. “You’re definitely aware of Brooks Koepka and Beef Johnson having won this.
“Tommy Fleetwood had a second place on Challenge Tour and you know guys can move on from here to bigger and better things.”
Ferguson has three top tens so far, but is most concerned with actually getting to the tee at the Dave Thomas-designed Spey Valley course.
“Two years ago I was coming back from a broken hand and opened up the break again in practice, so had to pull out, last year I fell coming out of the shower and injured my rib,” he recalled. “I’ve never played the course competitively, just in practice.
“But I feel great just now. I’ve just been playing more, this is my eighth event in nine weeks, and you have some momentum.
“Even when I eventually took a week off I couldn’t wait to get going again. You see Grant and Liam racking up good performances and you want to get up there with them.”
