The two events are in consecutive weeks, the inaugural Dubai event first from November 19 to 22, and a good performance in this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship would set up the 34-year-old for a fabulous and potentially lucrative end-of-year finale. “To play in back-to-back events like that in Dubai and then Mission Hills in China would be awesome and it’s a great incentive to do well this week,” he said.

The top 60 on the Race to Dubai order of merit are eligible to play in Dubai and Drysdale might appear to be safe at No.48. He is the only Scot currently in the top 60, but his position is precarious. His lowly standing as a qualifying school graduate means that this week and next in the Madrid Masters could be his last two events.

The three concluding events of the season in Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong are co-sanctioned and unless he receives an invitation or wins this week or next he will be absent, and that gives others a chance to overtake. “It’s tough to say at this stage whether I’m definitely into Dubai. It would be a disappointment if I didn’t make it. I’d feel a lot more comfortable if I could get some more points on the board,” he said.

Last week’s World Cup qualifier at in Estonia was the host nation’s first professional tournament. It was also the first time Scotland had to pre-qualify and with three spots into the finals the Scots were adrift in fifth place with the final-day foursomes to come. “It didn’t look like we had much of a chance but we had a great round of 66 and the best other score was 71,” Drysdale said. “We hadn’t done anything much wrong in the first three rounds but the putts started to drop in the final round and we’re delighted to make it through.

“There were quality players who didn’t make it like Jose-Filipe Lima and Antonio Sobrinho of Portugal but also some teams like Croatia who were just there to try it out. I heard they have only nine professionals and most of them are teaching pros.

“The Estonia team was made up of a professional and a scratch player from the club and a lot of locals turned up to support them. The Estonians are new to the sport and are keen as mustard to stage that one again or even a Challenge Tour or European Tour event. The course was a good layout but because of the weather it doesn’t get much growth. 
It was also windy and cold and that was cracking preparation for the Dunhill,” he said with a laugh.

Drysdale is heading to Carnoustie today for practice for the tournament that is also played over Kingsbarns and the Old Course at St Andrews in pro-am format before the top 168 professionals play a final round at
St Andrews. “I’m looking forward to that and to finding out who my pro-am partner is. I played with Gavin Hastings last year and being in his company for three days was brilliant,” he said, but is looking to improve on missing the cut then by a single shot.

Four of Britain’s sporting knights – Ian Botham, Bobby Charlton, Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave – are taking part. The celebrity element also features Hugh Grant, Ronan Keating, Dutch footballers Marco van Basten, Johann Cruyff and Ruud Gullit, former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick and cricketers Michael Vaughan, Steve Waugh and Shane Warne.

Robert Karlsson defends the title against a field including Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Luke Donald and 15 Scots.