SCOTLAND has become a remarkably happy hunting ground for golfers from the Netherlands. After Reinier Saxton won the 113th staging of the Amateur at Turnberry nine days ago, Taco Remkes completed a Dutch double in the Scottish Challenge at the MacDonald Cardrona near Peebles yesterday.
While the Dutch have long claimed 'kolf' began on their turf as long ago as the 13th century, visits to the home of golf have been particularly rewarding for members of the Houtrak club, near Amsterdam, over the past two weeks as Remkes, 23, i
n his rookie season on the Challenge Tour, secured his first professional title thanks to a thoroughly impressive weekend's work.
Remkes, three years older than Saxton, is a member of the same club and was delighted to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot. "Reinier gets to play in the Masters, what could be better than that?" he said.
A cheque for nearly £28,000 wasn't bad to be going on with as the young pro followed up an error free score of 67 in the third round with a closing 66 for 271, 13 under par. Out in 29, the golfer from Amsterdam started with three consecutive birdies and carded six in all before turning for home and facing more blustery conditions.
"Holing a ten-foot putt on the first settled me down and I seemed to hole everything I looked at after that," he smiled. "On the back nine it was about hitting fairways and greens.
"Until the final round, I hadn't played all that well this week, but I managed to keep bogeys off my card. That was the key, particularly with the wind and the rain and the thick rough. I didn't make too many mistakes, so I was pretty happy, because it doesn't always work out that way.
"I've come close to winning twice before, once in Argentina and once in Brittany. It was really encouraging to make it third time lucky. I don't know why it is Dutch players are doing so well in Scotland, but we're certainly enjoying it."
Greig Hutcheon, who signed off with 70 for five under, was the leading Scot and reasonably pleased with his week's work. Having re-dedicated himself to the game after sustaining a shoulder injury in a car park prank – he was rugby tackled by a friend – the Aberdonian is fitter and keener to make an impact than he has been for years.
"The game has moved on and though I'm no gym freak, I understand you've got to be fit to compete," he said. "Injuring my shoulder meant I could no longer take my talent for granted and perhaps I appreciate things more now. I'd like to have won but my putting over the weekend wasn't as good as on Thursday and Friday. Now the goal is to play well in the big events remaining on the Challenge Tour and try to finish in the top ten on the Order of Merit."
Scott Henry, 20, from Cardross, closed with 73 for 282, and took the honour of the highest placed amateur. "It was a tremendous experience to be given the opportunity to play at this level," remarked the former Scottish stroke-play champion. "Since my aim, eventually, is to turn professional, this is the standard I need to match."
On another dreich day in Peebles when the rain teemed down in occasionally heavy bursts, Steve O'Hara, 71 for 284, felt he'd played better golf than his figures suggested. The former Walker Cup man struggled to get to grips with slow greens.
Among the group of Scots who will strive to secure a place in the Open at Sunningdale this morning, O'Hara is reluctant to commit himself exclusively to either the Challenge Tour or the European Tour when there are opportunities on both circuits to win back the card for the main tour he lost last season.
Currently 136th on the Order of Merit – the top 115 secure cards for 2009 – and 13th on the Challenge Tour, where the top ten get full cards for the main tour, the former Scottish Amateur champion doesn't plan to commit himself either way in terms of scheduling at this stage.
"The main goal is to get back my card, through whatever route," he said. "I'm playing the next two events on the Challenge Tour (the Lyon Open and the Credit Suisse Challenge in Switzerland] and we'll see what happens from there. Of course I'd rather be competing on the main Tour all the time, but I have to keep my options open."
George Murray, 71 for 284, was seventh reserve for Open qualifying today and, understandably, made alternative plans to travel to Lyon this week. When word came through on Saturday he'd made it into Sunningdale after all, the Scot declined the invitation so as to prepare properly for the Challenge Tour.
maitken@scotsman.com
The full article contains 824 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
