Scott Borrowman is finished with his stint lugging furniture around and looks like getting back to his best form at the European Amateur Championship, writes Steve Scott.
The 27-year-old from Dollar quit his job as a removal man to have one last go at being a full-time player and make his living from his golf, and is the leading Scot over the rain-soaked Duke’s Course at St Andrews.
Ireland’s Gary Hurley leads after a first round 66 in the battle of Europe’s elite amateur players with the continental title won in the past by Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Victor Dubuisson and Stephen Gallacher augmented by a place in next year’s Open Championship down the hill from the Duke’s at the Old Course.
Borrowman, a former Scottish Youths and Under-16 champion, lies in fourth after a three-under 68 only four weeks after quitting his job with a removals company.
Although he won the national Order of Merit in 2012 when employed on the removal vans, and this year won the season-opening Scottish Champion of Champions at Leven, such physical work was getting in the way of his game.
“I still think I will make my living from this game in one way or another and with the help of my family I’ve decided to have a go at being a full-time player again,” he explained.
“I enjoyed working but after a long day on the van, working 40 to 45 hours a week, I was going out to the range or the gym for hours and wondering what I was doing, really.
“This year has been the first when I’ve really felt it and I really had to stop if I was going to keep progressing as a player.
“It isn’t something with a time limit, although obviously I can’t do this forever, but I wanted to give it a proper go.”
As a result, Borrowman has been intensifying his work with coach Gregor Monks and feels his game has been strong the last three weeks but “was the first time I’ve seen it on the course.”
He had a run of four birdies in succession from the seventh, starting with a six iron to a few inches at the short hole, and managed through a heavy rain shower down the back nine to come in with his 68.
Rain throughout the day hampered many but not Hurley, who was bogey free in his 66. The 21-year-old is on a Padraig Harrington scholarship at the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, but much of his time is spent at Carton House where the Golf Union of Ireland is based.
A member of the winning European Palmer Cup team this year, Hurley also made the cut in the Irish Open in June, opting to play there rather than the Amateur Championship at Portrush.
He’s won before at St Andrews, in the R&A Bursars event two years ago, and will finish his degree in business management and aim for a Walker Cup place next year.
Big-hitting Ben Stow won’t wait for a GB&I cap at Lytham if he’s playing as well as he is now, the 22-year-old from Wiltshire shooting a fine 67 to share second place despite bogeying the last.
Now graduated from the University of Kentucky, a powerhouse in most college sports in the US, the powerful Englishman looks ready for the pro game already, able to fly it 300 yards with the driver fairly effortlessly.
“I’ve always been long, although I was long and wild when I was younger, I’m long and straight now,” said the winner of the Brabazon Trophy, the English Strokeplay title, earlier this year.
“I’m not keen to play too much more amateur golf because we play so much links,” he said. “I feel more comfortable at inland courses like this.
“I’ll start the amateur season next year but If I’m going well, I’ll turn pro because I know I’ll get a few starts rather than wait for the Walker Cup.”
Conditions were difficult for a time yesterday at the Duke’s, considerably toughened since the last top order event was staged here, much to the chagrin of Denmark’s Thomas Sorensen.
The University of Arkansas student, who hasn’t played much this year due to injury, had a 10 on the 620-yard second hole, a nine at the fourth and an eight at the sixth to be out in 51, 16-over-par.
New Scottish champion Chris Robb was off the pace after a four-over 75.