Henry's new moniker gives hint to his power

Golf Correspondent

Tuesday 5 March 2013

He's only been on the European Tour for a couple of months, but Clydebank rookie Scott Henry already has acquired a nickname.

Scott Henry has been nicknamed 'Animal' on the European Tour. Picture: Getty Images

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Nick Rodger

"They call me the Animal," said the 26-year-old, who was at pains to stress that his moniker is purely golf related. "I was in Dubai, and one of the local newspapers out there used it. It was in relation to my long driving."

In this era of crash, bang, wallop golf, Henry's power is certainly a useful weapon in the armoury. The former Scottish Boys' champion produces an average clatter off the tee of 306 yards and is currently fourth on the tour's driving distance table.Distance is not the be-all and end-all, though, and Henry knows there are areas of his game that need to be improved if he is to preserve his place at the top table.From eight starts so far, the Challenge Tour graduate has made three cuts, with individual round scores ranging from 80 to 65. In last weekend's Tshawne Open in South Africa, Henry covered his final five holes in five-over-par and missed out on a morale-boosting top-25 finish.Life on tour has been an eye-opening experience for the Scot but what he has witnessed away from the fairways and greens has given him the reassurance that he is doing the right things as he strives to become a successful competitor."I always thought I was working hard and I was doing more than everyone else," said Henry, who has joined the burgeoning sponsorship stable of Aberdeen Asset Management. "I've always looked after myself physically and try to get the best out of my body but the amount of guys in the gym at six in the morning and then back in after their rounds has been an eye-opener."The guys are good for a reason: they are so dedicated. It's a boost to my confidence to know I'm working on the right things, like they are. I'm doing the same things as the top guys and that's peace of mind for me."Henry's dedication in the gym stems from his formative years with the Scottish Institute of Sport and the Scottish Golf Union and the former national strokeplay champion believes the good practices that are now becoming rooted in the system will benefit the next wave of hopefuls. "Golf is such a science now, you have to do this or you fall behind," he added. "The standard is sky high and, if you're not doing everything, you fall by the wayside. When I started in the Scottish set-up I think a lot of people still frowned upon the gym side."The ideas from the Institute of Sport and the SGU were ahead of the game. All they taught me then is what everyone is doing now."The young guys coming through now are doing the same stuff and that will only help them in the future."* Stephen Gallacher may have had three entries for the European Tour's January Shot of the Month award but the Scot still missed out on the gong. Gallacher's eagle at the 16th hole during the Dubai Desert Classic, where he holed out from 110 yards en route to victory, earned 22% of the vote. His hat trick of potentially award-winning shots from that week polled more than 55% of the overall vote but the prize went to Bristol's Chris Wood, who launched a raking six-iron into the final green of the Qatar Masters to set up a title-winning eagle.

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Henry's new moniker gives hint to his power

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