From the caveman to the canny man. At the start of Scottish Open week, Richie Ramsay expressed his desire to take a more simplified approach on to the links. It would be, as he called it, ‘caveman golf’. In a game that can leave you paralysed by constant analysing, the 33-year-old’s back-to-basics approach continues to reap rewards. A tidy four-under 68 for a four-under 140 left him handily placed in a tie for 10th heading into the weekend of a championship which clearly means the world to him. “The Scottish Open is just like a major to me and perhaps it’s even more important to me than the Open,” said Ramsay.
A spirited round was aided by a brace of late birdies at 16 and 18, which sandwiched an important par-save on the 17th, as Ramsay’s title tilt gathered momentum. You could say he’s really got on his bike. “I’ve simplified my game and have gone back to playing with my old irons,” he added. “I’m a a great believer in the British cycling mantra of marginal gains. Small differences can make a huge difference at this level. It can be the difference between winning or finishing 20th.”
Ramsay has already enjoyed a lucrative bonus this season by winning a £120,000 luxury motor for a hole-in-one at the BMW International last month. The bonus prize on offer this week is a place in the Open at Royal Troon but Ramsay, who is not exempt for the third major of the season yet, remains fully focused on affairs in the highlands. “Sunday is where the fireworks happen and I tend to be good under pressure so that’s where I want to be,” he said. “Cars are nice but I know where my priorities are.”
Russell Knox was still smiling after a 70 left him a couple of strokes behind his countryman on 142. As the home town hero in the field, Knox is revelling in the spotlight and the attention surrounding the world No 27 is all part and parcel of his growing stature on the global stage. He has come a long way and he’s noticed the difference in other aspects of tour life. “On the US mini-circuits I played with my buddies and then had a beer,” he reflected. “When I moved up to the Web.com Tour I played with my buddies, went for a meal but had no drink. On the PGA Tour, nobody socialises.”
Keeping Knox company on two-under was compatriot Marc Warren, who finished third in the 2012 Scottish Open, and moved up the order with a 69.
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