McArthur plays long game as Challenge Tour hits Cardrona

Published on Thursday 26 June 2008 00:06

ANY of the golfers aspiring to make a name for themselves in the Scottish Challenge at the MacDonald Cardrona golf and country club near Peebles today will surely take heart from the example of last year’s winner, Robert Dinwiddie.

The former Walker Cup player has recorded no fewer than four top 11 finishes on his rookie season on the European Tour and even completed 72 holes at Torrey Pines this month when he finished 36th on his major debut at the US Open.

If the 25-year-old born in Dumfries – the Durham golfer regards himself as English – can make a splash in the big events less than 12 months after picking up the winner’s cheque at the Scottish Challenge, then another generation of hopefuls are entitled to dream of making similarly swift progress through the ranks. With a prize fund of 220,000 (174,000) – the fifth largest purse on the Challenge Tour – the event has attracted a strong field with a number of Scots among those hoping to clinch victory.

Having already entered the winner’s circle once this season in Madrid when he won the Reale Challenge de Espana, Andrew McArthur, 16th in the Order of Merit, is keen to improve on his share of fourth at Cardrona a year ago.

“Winning in Madrid was important because it means I can go into events knowing I can do it, and the more I do that and think that way then the better my results will be,” said the 29-year-old from Lanark. “You have to go into every tournament thinking about winning it, not just about making the cut.

“Getting the win is another hurdle out of the way, and hopefully I can kick on from this. I got a taste for the European Tour earlier this year, and that is where I want to be. I still believe the best way to do that is through the Challenge Tour.”

Although Richie Ramsay, the former US Amateur champion, pulled out yesterday because of a rib injury, there are numerous Scots striving to make their mark, including the Saltman brothers, Lloyd and Elliot, Eric Ramsay, and Greig Hutcheon. The highest ranked home player on the Challenge Tour this season is Steven O’Hara, who has won more than 33,000 from just three appearances.