Like some kind of medieval scamp shackled in the stocks on the village green, it seems they have been lining up to give Bradley Neil a right good boot up the backside.

“My coach for the last five years, Kevin Hale, gave me a real kick up the a*** after the Dunhill Links,” stated Neil. “And not just him. My parents, my manager, my close friends … they all did too.”

The thought of this succession of metaphorical dunts on the derriere certainly conjures up some deliciously comical imagery but the reality of life in the professional ranks for Neil has been far from a laughing matter.

After winning last year’s Amateur Championship, and playing in the Open, the Masters and the US Open, Neil made the leap into the professional game earlier in the summer with great expectations. He signed up with Mark Steinberg, the long-time manager of Tiger Woods, in a stable of golfing thoroughbreds that also includes the former US Open champion, Justin Rose. It was all systems go. Well, not quite. Like many before him, Neil didn’t hit the ground running. It was more a case of falling flat on that rear end.

From 10 events, on both the European Tour and the second-tier Challenge Tour, the 19-year-old from Blairgowrie made just one cut and cobbled together barely £2000.

“I like to look at how Justin Rose started his career,” said Neil. “He missed 21 cuts in a row when he turned professional. I’m not as bad, but quite similar.”

Playing on a variety of invitations is never easy and trying to earn enough to gain full tour privileges through a limited number of starts is a formidable task on a par with chiselling a new face into Mount Rushmore with a bent soup spoon.

Neil still has a chance to become a new face on tour, of course. Over the next six days, there is the opportunity to gain a solid foothold on the professional ladder in the final of the European Tour’s Qualifying School, which gets underway today at PGA Catalunya near Girona.

It’s a tough old test but, like a swotty pupil who’s done plenty of revision, Neil is going into the examination with plenty of confidence. He finished second in the stage one qualifier at Collingtree Park back in September and eased through the stage two shoot-out in Spain last weekend.

That aforementioned kick up the behind has, well, kicked in. Big things were predicted of him and Neil admits the plaudits and the predictions affected his performances.

“Everyone expected success for me right way, and that soon gets into your mind as well,” said Neil, who will be targeting one of the 25 main tour cards on offer in the six round marathon but will be guaranteed at least full Challenge Tour status if he makes the 72-hole cut. “I got complacent. I fell back on what people were saying rather than looking at my results.

“After playing in the likes of the Masters, the US Open and the Open, you are soon brought back to reality. In the pro game, you can’t take anything for granted.

“I did enough work in the amateur game to have success, but in the pro game you’ve got to up it again and again by a huge amount because the standard is so good.

“I’ve been working hard with Kevin since the Dunhill Links, and, as a person, I have matured a lot. I think I was wiser than my years before, but I’ve definitely matured in the past year.

“In my view, since winning the Amateur I’ve played well in only two events, the Eisenhower Trophy and the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek after turning professional. But I’ve played well in the qualifiers so far. I believe if I hadn’t turned pro when I did I would have been less prepared for the Q School. Amateur golf couldn’t have prepared me as well. No way.”

As a talented teenager, Neil has plenty of time on his side. Of course, golf’s youth movement means you’ve got to get moving. When starry-eyed youngsters see the likes of Jordan Spieth winning two major championships by the age of 21, they tend to get impatient.

“Look at the new generation coming through,” said Neil. “ I am just 19, but Jordan Spieth had won a tournament when he was 19.

“The game is getting younger and younger, and I want to be part of it. I don’t want to miss out. I don’t want to wait maybe to be part of the next generation. I want it to be now.”

As well as Neil, the eight-strong Scots contingent involved in the qualifying scramble includes Scott Henry, George Murray, Peter Whiteford, Jack Doherty, Ross Kellett, David Law and Paul Shields.