As the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship usually unfolds at a tempo that gives Scots the same appreciation of eternity that the English take from cricket, you do not generally expect to see a competitor sprinting across the 17th fairway like a hare that has been startled out of the rough by an errant Titleist.

But Bradley Neil was in a hurry. He was a desperate man. And while it is all very well emptying your bladder into a gorse bush when you are playing on your home course at Blairgowrie, it is not the sort of thing you do on the most famous hole in golf, at the business end of one of the most lucrative events on the European Tour, and with a global audience of millions tuning in to watch.

Neil vaulted the low wall and dashed into the Jigger Inn. Two minutes later, he dashed out. As the 17-year-old has not reached the age where he is allowed to buy himself a drink, it was pretty clear to the tittering bystanders what the purpose of all his vaulting was about. But something even more remarkable was about to happen.

After a brief discussion with caddie Phil McKenna, Neil drew his 6-iron from the bag and lined up his second shot from 170 yards. His playing partners, Peter Uihlein and Joost Luiten, had already hit their approaches, but Neil outdid their efforts with a sublime strike, spearing low through the wind before settling 10 feet from the flag.

Easy as that. While the gallery roared their appreciation, he tipped his hat shyly as he walked towards the green. His week was coming to a close and he was loving every minute of it.

And still struggling to believe it was happening. Only five days earlier, Neil had been sitting at home in Blairgowrie, looking forward to coming to the Dunhill event as a spectator, when he took a call from the organisers.

Huey Lewis had pulled out with a shoulder injury, they told him. Did he fancy a game as Uihlein's amateur partner?

Did he just. Five months ago, Neil pipped Ewan Scott 4&2 to win the Scottish Boys' Championship, confirming his potential as one of the best young players in the game. The achievement did not go unnoticed, leading to his late invitation to join the sport's big names at St Andrews.

Neil has designs on joining their ranks some day, so he was never going to refuse the offer. Neither was he going to disgrace himself by being a jibbering wreck. But, surely, he must have been nervous? Not at all. "I didn't really feel anything on the first tee," he said. "You have to soak it up. I want to be serious about this and this is what it will be like if I get to this level. You have to learn how to deal with it. I just tried to play my own game and show people what I can do."

What he could do included an imperious eagle at the par-four third hole yesterday, reaching the green with a thunderous drive and then draining a 12-foot putt. Granted, Neil, who plays off plus four, had the benefit of teeing off from the forward tee - giving himself a 60-yard advantage over the pros - but it was still a staggering feat.

So what rich memories will he take away as he resumes life as a student of sports development and coaching at Perth College? "Probably playing with Ernie Els," he beamed. "Being with Ernie at Kingsbarns on Friday was fantastic. I've watched him as I've grown up and he's such a fantastic guy.

"To be able to walk with him and just chat about anything was fantastic. To watch Peter almost make history with a 59 there was pretty special as well."

Neil is not quite sure which road he will take to get into the professional ranks. But this morning he knows better than ever that he wants to get there. At one point, Chubby Chandler, who manages such players as Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and yesterday's winner David Howell, came up and gave Neil his card. The big time is beckoning. Neil said: "Stepping into the pro ranks is still far away. Watching these guys this week I see that there are a lot of things I do that are very similar to them, but there are a lot of things I have to work on."

Not that many, if yesterday's evidence is anything to go by.