Resilient Richie Ramsay 'tired of digging myself out of foxhole'

Richie Ramsay and caddie Scott Carmichael on the 18th green during the third round of the 151st Open. Picture: Tom Russo/The Scotsman.

Richie Ramsay rarely misses a fairway, so sending a tee shot into a gorse bush at the fourth hole in the third round of the 151st Open and taking a triple-bogey 7 felt like being punched in the guts.

But, showing the “resilience” he’s drawn on throughout his career, the 40-year-old salvaged the situation manfully as he covered the remaining stretch at Royal Liverpool in three-under-par. In the circumstances, his 71 was a fine effort.

“I can’t remember,” replied Ramsay to being asked when he’d last hit a tee shot into a gorse bush. When it was jokingly suggested it might have been back in his amateur days, he added, laughing: “Probably, yeah, something like that.”

On a rain-softened course, Ramsay reckoned the Hoylake course had been there for the taking - Jon Rahm proved that as he shot his 63 later in the day - and he was left kicking himself about that fourth hole.

“All in all, I played really well,” said the four-time DP World Tour winner. “It was just really a shame about four. It was a little bit self-inflicted because I needed to be firmer with my decision. The decision should have been a cut driver, take out the bunker and tackle it, and I hit rescue.”

Helped by birdies at the fifth, eighth and 12th, the damage was repaired. “There would have been a few more swear words for sure,” he replied to being asked what his reaction to a similar setback would have been a decade ago. “But I've always been pretty resilient. I like the fact that I fought myself back, but I'm kind of tired of digging myself out of a foxhole."

With no events on the DP World Tour over the next fortnight as players are handed a summer break, Ramsay is hoping to sign off with a big finish on the Wirral.

“I'm playing really good golf. I wish the break was maybe just a couple weeks and then get back to it,” he said. “Dubai (for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship) is a big goal for me. I’m guessing the points this week are substantially more than any other week, so a nice round tomorrow and I’ll be a bit more buoyant going into the break and can relax more.”