Cameron Adam 'fighting for every inch as a pro' on return to The Belfry
Scot battling to hang on to his DP World Tour card heading into circuit’s Back 9 Swing
Cameron Adam is back at The Belfry for a second successive Husqvarna British Masters appearance and hopes to shine again at the Ryder Cup venue in an event being hosted once more by Sir Nick Faldo.
Twelve months ago, the left-hander produced some amateur dramatics on the Sutton Coldfield course to sit just three off the lead heading into the final round before ending up in a tie for 19th behind winner Alex Noren.
It was a terrific performance from Adam, who signed off his amateur career shortly afterwards by playing in the Walker Cup at Cypress Point in California before then turning professional as he secured a Global Amateur Pathway card for the DP World Tour.
Heading into the circuit’s Back 9 Swing, the 23-year-old sits 115th in the Race to Dubai Ranking, with the top 100 at the end of the Genesis Championship in Korea towards the end of October retaining full cards for next season.
“Yeah, it’s been a great last 12 months, especially since turning pro,” Adam, who is among nine Scottish players in this week’s field, told The Scotsman. “First and foremost, I want to take care of that (his card) and then we’ll see what happens on top of that.
“It’s all very different,” he added in reply to being asked how he’s found life in the professional ranks compared to his amateur days, which included a spell at Northwestern University in Illinois. “There’s just a lot more good players out here - right? You are having to fight a lot more for every inch. I think getting used to that has been a challenge as there are no easy weeks. That’s probably been the biggest thing I’ve had to get used to - new standards being set.
“I’ve got my own internal standard and, in the amateur game, you kind of get used to where that is in relation to the general standard. But then it’s a big step up coming out here. I think that’s been the biggest adjustment.”
‘There’s been a lot of good stuff in there’
In 20 starts so far, his best performance was a tie for ninth in the Magical Kenya Open back in February. Having made lots of cuts, he was hoping to be above the cut-off line in the battle for those coveted cards.
“There’s been a lot of good stuff in there,” said last year’s St Andrews Links Trophy winner, who came through the Stephen Gallacher Foundation ranks. “But I think I need to make more of the good stuff. I think my good stuff has seen me shake out a lot of 30th-60th finishes, so I just need to find that little extra that makes the good stuff a bit better than that.”
Though happy to make the cut, it was a bit of a battle for Adam in last week’s Nexo Championship, won by compatriot Scott Jamieson. “I was struggling with my game, so I’m quite glad it’s over,” he admitted. “Yeah, there’s definitely some interesting challenges out there - that’s probably the politically correct way to put it!”
Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed and three-time Dunhill Links champion Tyrrell Hatton head a strong field for this week’s event, which marks the start of the qualification campaign for next year’s centenary edition of the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland.
“It’s a good, fair test and that attracts good crowds. It’s also in a great spot,” said Adam of this week’s assignment in the Midlands. “So I’l definitely have a big buzz going down there and hopefully I can turn up for it.”
Given that he’s unlikely to get into either the Amgen Irish Open or BMW PGA Championship over the coming few weeks, he could do with another strong show this week or next week in the Omega European Masters.
“I’m looking forward to being back at a place I know I like and you know what you are going to get,” he said. “So it’s just a case of trying to brush last week off and get going again.”
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