Madeira success sees rejuvenated Forsyth tap into his great potential

BOB Torrance, Scotland's leading golf coach, has highlighted Alastair Forsyth's qualities of patience, determination and intelligence as assets which he believes can help the winner of the Madeira Islands Open on Sunday go on to achieve whatever he wants as a professional.

Torrance and Forsyth have worked together since the autumn of 2006 and the elements of hard graft and shrewd advice in their relationship have combined to rejuvenate the past winner of the Malaysian Open.

Scotland's canniest coach was unconcerned when Forsyth started the season by missing five consecutive cuts and believes the changes he's overseen in the player's swing would pay a dividend in due course.

Torrance has adjusted the position of Forsyth's legs, altered his take away and worked on the top of his swing. "I'm not just saying it because it's me," cautioned the éminence grise of Scottish golf, "but Alastair's swing is much improved and he now hits the ball really well. I also like the fact he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's a thinker."

Forsyth, 32, may not yet be in a position financially to reward Torrrance's input with the same generosity as Padraig Harrington – the Open champion gave the coach a top of the range Mercedes and a gold Rolex to mark his major victory at Carnoustie last summer – but the Paisley man's faith in Torrance's guidance is absolute.

"I went into the year feeling pretty good about my game after last year and I was hoping to carry that on," he recalled. "But I made a really poor start with all the missed cuts. Still, I have been playing all right over the past couple of weeks so I felt as if a good result was just around the corner. I had trust in my game and faith in my ability and a lot of trust in Bob who told me I was swinging it well. If he tells you that, it is good enough for me, and he was right."

Once tipped as a natural successor to Colin Montgomerie as the standard bearer of Scottish golf because of the combination of driving accuracy off the tee and his aptitude for winning, Forsyth knows Torrance's advice on the range works on the golf course.

The golfer's perseverance and resistance to pressing the panic button this year also impressed Torrance. "Alastair is strong mentally and although he was missing cuts, it was only by a shot or two," said the coach. "It wasn't as if he was playing really badly. It was still very early in the season and no time to rush to judgment."

Asked what Forsyth might go on to achieve, Torrance replied: "Whatever he wants. He's certainly going to achieve more in the game. And, yes, he is a potential Ryder Cup player."

Brian Marchbank, Forsyth's manager and the director of golf at 110sport, added: "Alastair has won on Tour before but this victory should help him go on to become more consistent. He's more experienced and knows himself far better than he did in 2002. You can't say anyone, apart from Tiger Woods, is going to win. But Alastair can be in those last groups on a Sunday afternoon more often."

Ironically, Forsyth played more consistent golf in 2007, reeling off ten top 20 finishes and five top tens on the European Tour without mounting the winner's podium. This winter he went through the upheaval of moving house and didn't win a single euro from Abu Dhabi, 69th, Qatar, 83rd, Dubai, 71st, the Johnnie Walker, 78th, and Malaysia,100th, before rallying from five shots back in Madeira to catch Hennie Otto and defeat the South African in a play-off.

Throughout his career, Forsyth hasn't flinched whenever an opportunity came along to succeed. A winner of the Scottish Amateur strokeplay at Cardross in 1996 – coincidentally he also defeated Otto in a play-off for that title 12 years ago – Forsyth won the Scottish PGA title on the Tartan Tour and the St Omer on the Challenge Tour before making his breakthrough on the European Tour in Malaysia in 2002. Every time he steps up a level, Forsyth has met the challenge of winning.

"I've never had a problem when I get into contention," he said. "I'm not intimidated by winning. Give me a chance and I'll try and take it. The problem over the past couple of seasons was that I haven't given myself enough opportunities."

Apart from collecting a cheque for £90,000, Forsyth's victory will gain him spots in elite events such as the HSBC Champions tournament in China and the Mercedes in Germany. If he can climb into the world's top 100 then he could also play in the US PGA championship for the first time since 2003.

While best known for his work with Harrington, Torrance is exerting an influence on the domestic scene as a father figure for a number of Scots.

"It's early in the season and sometimes we're too quick to criticise our younger players," added the coach. "It's already a big enough challenge for them to follow in the footsteps of people like Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie."