As Richie Ramsay cradled the bottle of champagne in his hands he seemed far away.

It later turned out that the Scot had allowed his mind to wander off a full three years into the future, when 2016 will perhaps prove a good year for bubbly and an even better one for the 30-year-old's golf career. That is when Ramsay hopes to punctuate his cv - it includes the 2006 US Amateur title - with a place in the European Ryder Cup team.

He was soon brought back to the present day as he was inclined to make room for the crowd of people flocking to rub shoulders with his playing partner, but thoughts of the Ryder Cup three years hence were not so easily corralled. It probably did not help that he was to spend all day with an American renowned for his taste for competition; Ramsay paired yesterday with celebrated former Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps for the Omega European Masters pro-am at Crans-sur-Sierre GC.

Their round started slowly since Phelps was obliged to pose with fans and sign countless autographs - although Ramsay was also asked to scribble his name on a bottle of champers - before the American struck a drive straight down the fairway with his opening shot off the tee. "Nice shot. If you can keep hitting it like that all day, we'll do all right," said the Scot, addressing his partner, who won 18 Olympic gold medals in the pool.

"It was pretty cool and how many days do you get to play golf with the greatest living Olympian," he added later. "The great thing was that he was just so down to earth and it wasn't as though he was out there acting like he had won 18 gold medals. When he's on, he's really on and he can really rip the ball, but there were times when it went it a bit wild."

His tone was casual but it belied a competitive spirit which is becoming sharper as he defends his Swiss title and goes in search of a third Race to Dubai success. It is an ambition that will seem all the more significant for Ramsay after he missed the opening qualifying tournament for next year's Ryder Cup, the Wales Open, although he considers the competition in 2016 to be a more attainable target.

Realising that dream would also resonate just that little bit deeper as the 2016 Ryder Cup will be held at Hazeltine, the venue for his 2006 win. "Gleneagles [next year] is a chance and I would never say never [to qualifying] but if things go to plan, then 2016 would be my optimum chance to get in the team," said Ramsay. "Plus I have a bit of history with the venue."

That story includes a few chapters from his personal life, too. Ramsay met his wife during his successful pursuit of the US Amateur title, with the couple using the Hazeltine clubhouse for their wedding ceremony. His more immediate relationships, though, will be with the American Peter Uihlein, runner-up in last week's ISPS Handa Wales Open, and Darren Clarke, a former Open champion, as the Scot seeks to defend his Swiss title.

It is the fifth time that Ramsay will compete in the tournament and he will provide a font of knowledge for compatriot Chris Doak, who is making his debut. The Glaswegian is lying 119th on the Race to Dubai rankings and retains a certain ambition of qualifying for the lucrative four-event Final Series.

"The course is a little bit better than I imagined and I always like playing tree-lined courses with undulat­ing greens," said Doak. "I played in altitude before in Joburg but this as high as I've competed in Europe, and I will be working in meters this week rather than yards.

"I'm playing these next four weeks and I've put down the Perth Inter­national on my schedule. [However,] if I have a win or a couple of good weeks I can make my way to Perth, Scotland rather than having to travel all the way to Perth, Australia."