The fat $5 million prizefund at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has often been the saviour for many a Scots player with his European Tour rights in peril, although that’s an unfamiliar situation for Richie Ramsay.
After ten years on tour, Ramsay needs to make up a €65,000 gap to push him from 127th on the Race to Dubai to 110th or better – the safe zone from relegation – and you get that much for finishing around 10th in the annual three-cornered pro-am event.
Ramsay has done the hard graft with a one-over 73 in the strong winds at Kingsbarns on Thursday and a strong two-under 70 at Carnoustie yesterday, which leaves him in decent shape and twi rounds on the Old Course to make a bid up the top of the leaderboard.
“This is one of the tournaments which is a red flag at the start of the year,” he said. “If you’d ask me about tournaments I’d want to win, this would be in my top two.
“Today was good I putted well and only made one silly mistake at 17 when I didn’t connect properly and ended up with a double. But any time you shoot under par here – even when it is flat and calm it’s not the easiest course in the world – you have to be happy.
“I just have to go good again tomorrow. I’m best when I’ve got a plan and I know what I want to do. “I just have to play good golf. I didn’t feel under too much pressure today and I’m quite relaxed.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing but I guess I’ll end up wherever I end up come the end of the season. I’ll look back and feel like I gave it 100% every week.”
Stephen Gallacher is much better off in 90th on the Race to Dubai rankings, although a strong finish here would help him even more. After an eventful one-under 71 at Kignsbarns, yesterday’s 68 at Carnoustie – one of his favourite courses – lifted him up just shy of the top ten, on five-under.
“It’s a favourite, but it’s never easy, is it?” he said. “It wasn’t as tough with the wind as yesterday but there were still a couple of clubs difference on some holes.
“With everyone playing different courses, you can never really tell where you are in this event until Sunday. You see guys elsewhere shooting seven or eight under, but that certainly wasn;t on here or where I played yesterday.
“But now we have 36 holes on the Old Course and you get a feel for it and can score well if you get things going. I’ve been playing well for the last two months, just not holing enough key putts and scoring better, but hopefully that’ll come this weekend.”
David Drysdale, at level par, is the only other Scot in the top 70 but everyone gets a third shot at the cut this week under the Dunhill format so there’s still a chance for others to claw their way back into the tournament.
Connor Syme – despite a nightmare run of six shots dropped in four holes around the turn at Kingsbarns – Scott Jamieson and Marc Warren are all on three-over, needing a strong Saturday run to make the fourth day’s play.
