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Scotsman
05-08-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Why DP World Tour card-chasing trio have made big call to play in Scotland
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... It's normally a bigger dilemma than you might expect, though, on this occasion, the decision seemed pretty straightforward for David Law, Daniel Young and Euan Walker. The HotelPlanner Tour trio are teeing up on the DP World Tour this week, having opted to play in the Nexo Championship, which is being held at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, as opposed to the Irish Challenge at Killeen Castle in Co Meath. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The fact the event on Scottish soil carries a $2.75 million prize fund compared to the Irish one offering around $350,000 might suggest it was a no-brainer, but not necessarily so. David Law pictured during last week's Farmfoods Scottish Challenge at Schloss Roxburghe in Kelso |Especially not when Law, Young and Walker are aiming to secure a season of starts on the DP World Tour next year by graduating from the HotelPlanner Tour at the end of the current campaign. To put it in perspective, Law has barely played on the DP World Tour since losing his full playing status at the end of last season. He teed up in three events right at the start of the new season but, other than that, has only played in the Magical Kenya Open. Young also competed in Kenya and the Turkish Airlines Open as well while Walker's last appearance on the main circuit was more than two years ago in the 2023 Hero Indian Open. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Players have fallen into the trap in the past of being enticed by DP World Tour opportunities and, occasionally, someone has hit the jackpot by securing an exemption and, in turn, never looking back. Location is a big factor this week Now more than ever, though, players are aware that even taking a single week off from the bread and butter of the ultra-competitive HotelPlanner Tour might come back to haunt them when those coveted 20 DP World Tour cards are handed out in Mallorca at the end of the season. One of the reasons why Law, Young and Walker have decided on a change of environment this week is that it's an assignment on Scottish soil, a ground-breaking one, too, as the Old Course at Trump International Golf Links stages a DP World Tour event for the first time. In the case of Law and Young, they will also be teeing up in the knowledge that they have both effectively secured top-tour tickets for 2026. On the back of a win in the D+D REAL Czech Challenge last month, Law sits fourth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with Young is up to sixth after his maiden title triumph in the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at Schloss Roxburghe in the Borders on Sunday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After playing together in the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge, Euan Walker and Daniel Young are now teeing up on the DP World Tour this week in the Nexo Championship |'I think a little bit after last week especially,' said Young in reply to being asked if this week was something of a free shot for him. 'I've got myself in a nice position on the HotelPlanner Tour and I'll be teeing up with the same expectations I had last week, to be honest. 'My game is good and I was up playing the course with Davy (Law) a week past Friday. I've played it a good few times over the years and it suits my game as you've got to be strong off the tee. It will just be interesting to see how they set it up as it can get pretty blustery up there.' It can, indeed, as the players competing in last week's Staysure PGA Seniors Championship discovered, with only winner Bo Van Pelt and runner-up Darren Fichardt ending a challenging four days in red figures and that was despite a number of the tees being moved forward in one of the rounds. 'I probably need one more good result' Walker, who will be getting his first look at the Martin Hawtree-designed course, sits 14th on the HotelPlanner Tour points list after finishing third behind Young at Schloss Roxburghe. Three years in a row, he narrowly missed out on securing a step up after heading into the Grand Final sitting around 20th and is determined to be closer to the top ten on this occasion. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think I am now sitting in a similar position to where I was in 2023,' said the Ayrshireman. 'I probably need one more good result like the one last week. If not that, then I need to be consistent for the rest of the season and I've been consistent (as evidenced by by making the cut in 15 of his 17 starts) so far.' It would be correct to say that Young took time to find his feet on the second-tier tour, finishing 173rd in the rankings in 2021 then 77th and 100th the next two years. There were clear signs, though, that he was starting to make headway as he made it to the Grand Final for the first time last season and his weekend win came after finishing third and second in his previous two starts. Daniel Young shows off the trophy after his weekend win in the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at Schloss Roxburghe near Kelso | Five Star Sports Agency 'It was great to get across the line,' admitted the 33-year-old Perth man, who is coached by Ladybank head pro Sandy Smith. 'Yeah, this is proper progress. I've said this to a couple of the young guys. Gregor Graham, for example. The first year out here is tough. The travelling, for starters. Seeing different places, being in an airport every week. It's not easy and you've got to get used to that. 'The standard out here gets better every year. There are so many good players. Young guys starting out and guys coming back off the DP World Tour. So to have had the run of events that I've just had is obviously very satisfying.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A total of 15 Scots are playing in this week's event, with Law, Young and Walker joining DP World Tour regulars Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson, Calum Hill, Grant Forrest, Richie Ramsay and Scott Jamieson. Four-time PGA Tour winner Martin Laird is also in the field while Marc Warren, Ryan Lumsden and Rory Franssen have all secured invitations.
News18
04-08-2025
- Sport
- News18
Talwar sign off tied 56th at Farmfoods Scottish Challenge
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Roxburghe (Scotland), Aug 4 (PTI) India's Saptak Talwar carded 71 in the final round to finish Tied-56th at the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge here. In the final round, Talwar picked up two birdies against two bogeys. His rounds of 66-72-72-71 gave him a total of 3-under for the week. Scotsman Daniel Young sealed a maiden HotelPlanner Tour title on home soil after carding one under par round of 70 to finish 19 under par for the week, one shot clear of Frenchman Julien Quesne in second. Scotland's Euan Walker finished in solo third on 16-under par, one shot clear of Englishman John Gough, who ended the week in fourth. Young jumps eight places to sixth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings following his maiden victory. Englishman Joshua Berry still leads the way, with South African JC Ritchie in second and Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner in third. PTI Cor ATK view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Scotsman
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Mallets help hammer home important role of Scottish Challenge but did amateurs make right call?
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... It's been one of my favourite events since it was staged at Macdonald Spey Valley in Aviemore, where the winners included a certain Brooks Koepka. I am referring to the Scottish Challenge, which now has Farmfoods as the main title sponsor and is also supported by The R&A. Since being resurrected in 2022 by Paul Lawrie, it has been run by his 5 Star Sports Agency on what is now called the HotelPlanner Tour and what a terrific job a team led by Michael MacDougall along with Craig Lawrie and Reece Mitchell did once again last week at Schloss Roxburghe in Heiton, near Kelso. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lots of work goes into running top golf events and I was certainly reminded about that as I came across MacDougall, a former PGA in Scotland man, and Mitchell with mallets at the ready as they erected sponsors' boards on the road from the main entrance at the beautiful Borders venue. Daniel Young is congratulated by Michael MacDougall of Paul Lawrie's 5 Star Sports Agency after winning the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at Schloss Roxburghe |Yes, of course, it something that happens at lots of tournaments, but it should never be taken for granted and especially so on a circuit like the HotelPlanner Tour, which plays a pivotal part in the development of young European golfers in particular but also South Africans, Australians, Kiwis and Americans as well. From a purely Scottish perspective, let's not forget that Bob MacIntyre wouldn't be where he is now if it hadn't been for the full year he spent on what was called the Challenge Tour at the time. The Oban man graduated at the end of the 2018, won the DP World Tour Rookie of the Year the following season and the rest, as they say, is history. The same goes for David Law, Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson, Calum Hill and Grant Forrest, all of whom have become DP World Tour winners as well after effectively learning their trade in the professional game through spending some valuable time on the second-tier circuit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad DP World Tour cards are secured It had become a bit of a concern that the last three HotelPlanner Tour campaigns had come and gone without a Scot being among those to secure a step up to the top tour, though Euan Walker, in fairness, had given it a rousing run on each occasion only to come up agonisingly short in the card battle. However, the Saltire has been prominent in events this season and, as a result of that, there's even a chance that a repeat of 2018, when MacIntyre was joined in graduating by Forrest, Law and Liam Johnston, could be on the cards come early November at the end of the Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca. Helped by his win last month in the D+D REAL Czech Challenge, Law currently sits fourth in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with Daniel Young just two spots behind after he landed a maiden win in that £250,000 home event on Sunday. The pair have effectively secured 2026 DP World Tour cards and all that now remains to be determined is how high they can finish on the points table. Murcar Links member Chris Somers celebrates with family and friends after winning the Scottish Men's Amateur Championship at Gullane | Chris Young/Scottish Golf On the back of ending up third at Schloss Roxburghe, which, incidentally, is a fantastic golf course and, boy, was it in great condition last week, Walker is up to 14th in the battle to finish in the all-important top 20 and, if there's one player who deserves to be heading into the Grand Final in a position where it's already job done, then it would certainly be the Ayrshireman. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Add in Calum Fyfe and Ryan Lumsden sitting 29th and 31st respectively and an exciting couple of months certainly lies ahead for the Caledonian contingent on a tour that is the lifeblood of European golf and, no matter what changes may lie in store for the game, always will be. Scottish Amateur Championship doesn't have same clout these days It was almost a toss of a coin as I decided where to head on Saturday and, knowing that I was definitely heading to Schloss Roxburghe the following day, I am glad that I decided on Gullane to take in the final of the Scottish Amateur Championship. For starters, it was nice to be reminded that there aren't many better places in the world than up on the top of Gullane No 1 on a gorgeous day and, boy, has Paul Armour got the courses at the East Lothian venue looking absolutely magnificent at the moment. Earlier in the week, my preview piece for the Scottish Golf event had noted the notable absence of Walker Cup contenders Connor Graham and Cameron Adam, as well as the likes of Niall Shiels Donegan and Jack McDonald, who, along with Graham - the teenager, incidentally, finished joint-12th - had secured an invitation to play in the Scottish Challenge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This led one reader to get in touch with me to comment on that situation, as well as Graham opting to sit out last month's European Team Championship to prepare for The Open. 'Perhaps I am old school in my thinking, but surely they should consider how much their national associations have supported them and maybe feel that they have some obligation to return that support?' he asked. 'Otherwise amateur golf might become irrelevant.' The first thing that perhaps should be noted is that Scottish Golf isn't in a position to 'support' players in the way it once did and that could well be a factor when such decisions are being made and, of course, it comes down to an individual making a call. The sad fact of the matter, though, is that winning the Scottish Amateur Championship, for example, doesn't hold the same clout these days as it did for the likes of Ronnie Shade, Charlie Green, Gordon Murray, Ian Hutcheon and George Macgregor. What is important to note, however, is that Chris Somers, the Murcar Links man who claimed the crown at Gullane, was a very worthy winner indeed and a fine golfer with a lovely swing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dunbar development is music to Jacky Montgomery's ears
Scotsman
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
'Stressful' - Daniel Young on landing breakthrough win in Farmfoods Scottish Challenge
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... It wasn't as straightforward as he'd have liked. Not after seeing his four-shot overnight lead halved straight away after an opening double-bogey 6. And not after seeing experienced Frenchman Julien Quesne push him all the way to the finish. It was mission accomplished, though, for Daniel Young. After finishing third then second in his previous two starts on the HotelPlanner Tour, the 33-year-old maintained the progression by winning the £250,000 Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at Schloss Roxburghe near Kelso. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Daniel Young shows off the trophy after winning the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge on day four of the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at Schloss Roxburghe in Kelso |Signing off with a 70 in blustery conditions at the Borders venue, Young finished with a 19-under-par total, pipping Quesne, a two-time DP World Tour winner, by a shot in a thrilling finish, with another home player, Euan Walker, finishing two shots further back in third place. Young became the first Scot to land the coveted crown since David Law at Aviemore in 2018 and only fourth home contender to land the title, with Jamie McLeary and George Murray being the other home winners in 2009 and 2010 respectively. 'Yeah, buzzing,' said Young of making the breakthrough on the DP World Tour's feeder circuit on his 104th appearance. 'Absolutely delighted and I think I am still lost for words (laughing).' That was in reference to his winner's speech, which was probably one of the shortest in the history of the game. 'None of this was planned,' he joked of that. Young joined Law, who landed the D+D REAL Czech Challenge last month, as a winner on the circuit this year, with both players now on course to secure seats at the top of the table next season. Law, who tied for tenth, is up to fourth in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with Young jumping eight spots to sixth. The top 20 will secure DP World Tour cards at the end of the season-ending Rolex Grand Final in November. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, I don't think it gets any better,' admitted Young, who lost to Bob MacIntyre in the final of the 2015 Scottish Amateur final at Muirfield, of landing his breakthrough win, which was worth just over £46,000, on home soil. 'Honestly, you don't pick where you win. I would have taken winning anywhere but this is extra special, that's for sure.' His opening tee shot in the closing circuit ended up behind a tree, leaving him having to play out sideways. It looked as though he might get away with a par after a lovely wedge for this third shot only to three putt from around eight feet. 'Honestly, I actually felt fine on the first tee, which is bizarre,' insisted the Kingsbarns Links-attached player. 'I didn't actually think my tee shot was that bad. It must have got a ropey bounce and I was right up the back of a tree. I did the smart thing and I thought I'd stiffed it, hitting a great wedge shot, but, from there, it was careless.' His lead was down to just one shot at the turn, with his closest challenger at that point being the young Belgian, James Meyer de Beco. Young's cushion was up to three again after the 12th before all three players made birdie-2s at the 13th from inside 12 feet. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Daniel Young celebrates winning the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge |Then, on the back of stiffing his tee shot for another 2 at the 15th before also making a birdie from close range at the 16th, Quesne had closed the gap to just one and the 44-year-old did his best to force a play-off by also giving himself good chances at the closing two holes. It was a relief for Young that his title rival couldn't convert either of them and no-one could deny that this was a deserved title triumph. 'Just stressful,' declared Young in reply to being asked to sum up his day. 'Winning is hard. I knew guys would be throwing the kitchen sink at me. James came at me early and then Julien was coming at me fast at the end. Obviously I managed to just hold them off. I struggled to make a putt today, but I made my fair share over the first three days, so I am certainly not going to grumble.' After his early blip, he covered the remaining 17 holes in three under, getting up and down from the fringe on the left to seal the win. 'I was still two head (after the first hole) so just had to reset,' he said. 'It was a bit stressful, but I knew I was playing well. I knew I had to steady the ship, hitting fairways and greens. Maybe after the first I don't think I missed a green until the last. The golf was solid. The gusts were all over the place, so it was a tricky day.' On the back of his best finish of the season, Walker climbed 11 spots to sit 14th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings. Though there are still nine regular events remaining, it is shaping up to be the best season for Scots on the circuit since four players - Law, MacIntyre, Grant Forrest and Liam Johnston - graduated to the main tour at the end of the 2019 campaign. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, a really good week,' said Walker of his effort, having signed off with a 68 that included a burst of four birdies in five holes on the back nine. 'I hadn't played well in this event when it was at Newmachar, so I am pleased to have changed that at a new venue this week. Third on my own here is an absolutely massive finish.'
News18
03-08-2025
- Sport
- News18
Saptak Talwar slips to 54th on Hotel Planner Tour
Last Updated: Roxburghe (Scotland), Aug 3 (PTI) Indian golfer Saptak Talwar shot a second straight round of 1-over 72 to slip to T-54 after three rounds at the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge. Talwar, who started the week in style with a 5-under 66, added 72-72 to be 3-under for three rounds. Scotsman Daniel Young fired a 7-under 64 to take a four-stroke lead going into the final day. The Scot made nine birdies – four in the first five holes – and two bogeys to move to 18-under par for the week. Frenchman Julien Quesne, who also posted 64 to move to 14-under, is second. Belgian James Meyer de Beco, German Marc Hammer, Scots David Law and Euan Walker and Denmark's Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen are five shots back on 13 under par. PTI COR APA APA view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
