Latest news with #BradleyNeil
The Herald Scotland
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Blairgowrie amateur Connor Graham set for Open debut
'I was the only one to miss the cut out of the three of us, but I was only 12 so I had an excuse,' said Graham with a smile. Here in 2025, Graham is gearing up for an Open Championship debut. Over the past few seasons, the 18-year-old has won the Scottish Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship and the Junior Open, he has helped Europe win the Junior Ryder Cup and he became the youngest player, at 16, to compete in the Walker Cup. 'I would say I've come a long way,' added the young Scot as he reflected on the kind of rapid rise that would give most folk the bends. An Open outing will be another significant milestone. Having earned his place in the final men's major of the year the hard way – he stood firm in a play-off at final qualifying at Dundonald to nab a tee-time – Graham is ready embrace his major moment. There's a lot to absorb, of course. The stands are vast, the crowds are huge and building every day, the best players in the world are parading about and the Scottish golf writers are lurking in the dunes looking for a quick chinwag. 'I'm just trying to take it in,' added Graham, the first Blairgowrie member to play in The Open since Bradley Neil teed-up in the 2014 showpiece as the Amateur champion. 'It's important to manage everything. Some people could come here and think, 'it's a major week, so I'll have to try to hit as many balls as I can and try to play as much as I can'. 'But it's a long week as you get here early so you have to save your energy for the tournament and the golf test. It's all very different to what I'm normally playing in week-in, week-out. 'The course is very tough, it's very demanding off the tee. It's difficult to get away with a lot of stuff and you have be really good off the tee to be able to score well. 'But it's really cool to be here. Who doesn't want to play an Open? It's the one everybody wants to be in.' Graham, who has just completed his first year at US college in Texas, is a member of the Paul Lawrie Foundation. Lawrie, of course, came through a final qualifier at Downfield back in 1999 and went on to lift the Claret Jug at Carnoustie a few days later. 'That's definitely an inspiration for me,' said Graham. There's nothing wrong with aiming high in this game. Since the college term finished, Graham has packed a fair bit in. He played in the Palmer Cup, then returned to this side of the pond for the Amateur Championship, the European Amateur Championship and the Open final qualifier. It's been a hectic spell, but Graham has energised himself for his Open experience with a few days off last week. Well, in a fashion. The clubs are never far from his grasp. 'I've not got much else to do other than play golf, so I always do a little bit of practice to keep things sharp,' he said. 'If I wasn't playing golf then I'd be lying on the couch just watching some TV.' Graham has some Caledonian company this week in the shape of fellow amateur, Cameron Adam, Robert MacIntyre and Daniel Young. It's 10 years now since Young lost to MacIntyre in the final of the Scottish Amateur Championship at Muirfield. In that time, MacIntyre has enjoyed the kind of lift-off you'd get with a vessel of space exploration and the Oban lefty is now 14th in the world. Young, meanwhile, is plotting his own route up the golfing order and back-to-back top-three finishes on the second-tier HotelPlanner Tour recently bolstered the Perth man's push for promotion to the main DP World Tour. An Open debut – he also came through the qualifier at Dundonald – and the chance to reacquaint himself with MacIntyre has been a nice addition to the diary. 'There will be no hard feelings if I can turn around my career into what he (MacIntyre) has done so far,' chuckled Young as he reflected on that Scottish Amateur showdown in 2015. 'Golf is ruthless. Everybody's where they are for a reason. I'm on the HotelPlanner Tour for a reason. Bob's where he is for a reason. You've just got to work your way up the ladder.' An Open Championship is a nice rung on that climb.
Scotsman
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Bradley Neil creates Tartan Pro Tour history with Newmachar title defence
Turnhouse-attached pro pips overnight leaders after closing seven-under-par 65 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bradley Neil created history on the Tartan Pro Tour as he became the first player to win the same event two years in a row with a successful title defence in the Newmachar Classic presented by Boskalis. The Blairgowrie man, who is attached to Turnhouse these days after going down the PGA training path, pipped overnight leaders Liam Johnston and Rory Franssen in the latest event on the Scottish-based circuit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Neil, who started the final round four shots off the lead, signed off with a seven-under-par 65 - the joint-best effort of the day along with Craig Ross - to land a top prize worth £4,175 with a 202 total. The victory also secured a spot for the 2014 Amateur champion in the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at Schloss Roxburghe in the Borders next month. Bradley Neil shows off the trophy after winning the Newmachar Classic presented by Boskalis for the second year in a row | Tartan Pro Tour 'I was delighted with the win and it is nice that I have become the first player to win an event for the second year in a row, which was a bit of a surprise, to be honest,' admitted Neil. His sparkling closing effort on the Hawkshill Course at the Aberdeenshire venue was sparked by birdies at the opening two holes. He then added gains at the sixth, eighth, ninth, 11th, 13th and 16th, with his sole dropped shot coming at the last. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Johnston, who'd catapuled himself up the leaderboard on the back of a second-round 63, parred the final eight holes as he came up one short of the clubhouse target, with Franssen missing out on a play-off after he bogeyed the last. 'I didn't really think winning on this occasion was in the equation as Liam and Rory have been playing some great golf while I'd missed the cut in every event before this one,' added Neil. 'I was surprised that no one else in the last three groups managed to post a score like I did, especially as Craig Ross had shot seven under as well in an earlier group. 'It was good enough to get the job done for me, though, and that's all that matters when you are in contention in a golf tournament.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Neil, who played on both the DP World Tour and Hotel Planner Tour at the start of his professional career, joined Peter Mitchell's staff at Turnhouse over the winter. 'I am wanting to go out and play care-free golf and play with a bit of freedom, especially now that I am doing my PGA training, which means I am in the shop three days a week and coaching,' he said. 'It's been anything but fun, to be honest' 'When I am playing in competitions, that's when I should be happy about getting that opportunity. It should be my time to relax and have fun but, apart from my PGA in Scotland Fourball wins with Graeme Robertson earlier in the year, it's been anything but fun, to be honest.' Johnston, who is playing in Tuesday's Open Final Qualifying at Dundonald Links after winning one of the Regional Qualifiers at Kilmarnock (Barassie) last Monday, and Franssen, a winner at Blairgowrie on the Tartan Pro Tour earlier in the season, each picked up £2,665. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
05-06-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Scot 'enjoying golf again' and out in front in Northern Open at windy Royal Dornoch
Bradley Neil hands himself 'big lift' as he looks to rebuild his golfing career Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bradley Neil rediscovered some of the form that made him one of Scottish golf's brightest prospects as he set the pace in round one of the Tartan Tour's Northern Open at Royal Dornoch. On a wind-ravaged day over the revered Sutherland links, the 29-year-old harnessed the exacting conditions to fine effect and emerged with a neatly assembled three-under 67 to lead by a stroke from his fellow Scot, John Henry, England's James Freeman and the Irish veteran Simon Thornton. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Neil underlined his huge potential as a teenager back in 2014 when he won the Amateur Championship before turning professional and earning a spot on the DP World Tour for the 2018 campaign Bradley Neil, who is now attached to Turnhouse Golf Club, pictured in action on the Challenge Tour in 2022 |His stay at the top table was brief, however, and Neil spiralled down the order. As the stresses and strains of touring life began to take a toll, Neil opted for a fresh start with The PGA last year as he looked to rebuild his golfing career. 'For too long, there was so much stress and anxiety involved in playing golf and I needed to get back to playing with enjoyment,' said the Blairgowrie man, who is attached to the Turnhouse club in Edinburgh. 'I have a bit of stability in life now. When I'm not playing golf, I'm working in the pro shop, not stewing at home or on the range trying to figure something out in my game. This round has to be up there with one of my best and it's given me a big lift.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Amid the boisterous buffeting, Neil put in a performance of poise and purpose as he eased to the front in the latest event on The PGA's Open Series. He dropped just one shot and conjured a fine act of salvage for his par on the 18th after his approach ended up in an awkward spot off the closing green. 'If I'd dropped one there, I would've been very annoyed so that par was important,' added Neil, who took advantage of the wind at his back on the front-nine and birdied three of his opening five holes. 'You had to take advantage going out and then hang on coming home. I didn't have a bogey on that back-nine which was very pleasing.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Past DP World Tour winner is lurking at Sutherland venue Thornton, a past champion on the DP World Tour, underlined his links golf prowess with a nicely crafted two-under 68 to lurk a shot behind Neil with one round to play. 'My game is hitting it under the wind so the back nine suited me down to a tee,' said Thornton, who hit a cracker of a 3-wood into the 11th and holed the birdie putt from 20-feet. 'The first time I'd played Dornoch was in practice the other day. I'd heard about it for years and it was love at first sight.' From his base in County Down, Thornton has made quite the trek to be here this week. 'But it's been worth it,' he added. 'We drove for an hour to the ferry, then a couple of hours on the ferry and five-and-a-half hours up here. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It'll be the same again going back and as soon as I get there, there's an Irish PGA event at Bellmullet which is a five-hour drive away. It's all for the love of the game.' Freeman, who last played Dornoch almost 20 years ago in the Scottish Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship, reacquainted himself with a solid 68 while Henry's two-under effort was illuminated by a birdie putt of nearly 30-feet on the fifth.
