Open 2009: Marchbank's eighth place was highlight of his career

Published on Wednesday 15 July 2009 22:55

AS THE son of the club professional at Turnberry in the early Sixties, Brian Marchbank grew up in a house located a pitch and a putt from the Ailsa.

When the director of golf at 110sport went back to compete in the 1986 Open there was a sense of homecoming which was rewarded by a top-ten finish.

Like Colin Montgomerie in 1994, Marchbank claimed eighth place in the company of the world's best golfers in spite of a faltering start.

"The weather was horrible that week and I shot 78 on the first day," he remembered. "After that, though, for the rest of the 54 holes, the only person who scored lower than me was Greg Norman. On the day Greg shot 63, I'd also scored in the 60s and couldn't imagine how anyone could play better in those conditions. We had sleet, wind and hail. You name it, we had everything. It's still one of the most vivid memories from my days on Tour.

"I was playing well and always liked competing in the Open. I loved links golf and that week was my favourite of the year. I played in Opens between 1980 and 2000 and usually had strong expectations. Obviously 1986 was exceptional for me because I finished eighth.

"It was huge for me financially to be placed so high up. To be eighth in the Open was worth more then than winning a lot of our events. I took home more than 16,000, which was a lot of money in those days. I finished 26th on the Tour's Order of Merit that year with 46,000 – which meant more than a third of my prize money for the year was banked at Turnberry.

"I never found the support of the home crowds anything other inspiring. If you can't be inspired as a golfer by an Open championship crowd then you are in the wrong game. I was top Scot that year at Turnberry and loved the buzz which surrounded the event.

"The Ailsa is a course where you have to plot your way round – you can't just blast it. There was an element of finesse. It was about where not to miss as much as where to play. That's what I really enjoyed most. You had to have a strategy."

Today, Marchbank represents Tour golfers such as Alastair Forsyth, Marc Warren and Stephen Gallacher.

"For the first time in a long time we don't have any of our players in the field this week," he acknowledged. "Overall, though, it's good we have nine Scots in the field. The difference when I was competing on the European Tour was the proportion of British members. When I first joined in 1980 I would guess more than 60 per cent were Brits. Now you'd be lucky if the number was half that. And the number of Scots is also proportionately lower. That's one of the reasons we don't have as many of our golfers in the Open. But I still think we're producing the talent – it's just a case of how we bring those players through and deliver consistency."

The Scottish challenge could be led by Martin Laird this week, the US-based player who enjoyed a successful home debut at the Scottish Open last week and hopes to make a name for himself here at Turnberry.

"A top ten here would really raise my profile," said Laird. "I'm not setting any targets, top ten or five, because I'm taking the same approach as last week, which seemed to work.

"Finishing top Scot was good last week. It's an achievement. I wish there were more of us up there but, any time you can play well and have a Scottish player in the top ten, that has to be good.

"My goal wasn't to be top Scot at Loch Lomond. My goal was – and is – to be top of everyone."

He added: "I don't know if I've been recognised that much more after doing well at Loch Lomond. But I've had a lot of guys congratulating me on playing well last week, which is nice. Even guys I don't really know have been nodding over and saying: 'Nice week last week.' That's good to hear.

"The Open is obviously a little different from ordinary tournaments, but I know I haven't seen anything yet. When the tournament starts and the crowds really start turning up, I'll hear the roars and get into the feel of the competition."

SCOTS AT OPEN

Colin Montgomerie: Exempt

Sandy Lyle: Exempt

Paul Lawrie: Exempt

Martin Laird: International q'fying

Richie Ramsay: International q'fying

David Drysdale: International q'fying

Gary Orr: International qualifying

Lloyd Saltman: Local qualifying

Elliot Saltman: Local qualifying

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