Dubai disappointment leaves Richie Ramsay feeling ‘dragged through hedge backwards’

Richie Ramsay closed with a three-over-par 75 in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic to drop 30 spots. Picture: Riss Kinnaird/Getty Images

The Aberdonian slipped 30 spots - the same he’d moved in the opposite direction on the back of a bogey-free 67 on Saturday - as he signed off with a three-over 75.

That left him in a tie for joint-56th on five-under, having closed with a similarly disappointing 76 when ending up 69th in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week.

“It is really disappointing and I’m thinking, ‘how the hell did I shoot three-over’,” declared Ramsay.

“I drove the ball well. I didn’t hit the best irons, but I just couldn’t read the greens today. The only birdie I had was a two-putt from 20 feet at the 13th.”

The three-time European Tour winner found himself going backwards on a day when South African Justin Harding catapulted himself up the leaderboard with a 63.

“Nine-under is a hell of a score round there today,” added Ramsay. “When you are putting as poorly as I did today, you have to be doing one of two things.

“You have to be stiffing iron shots or hitting the ball a country mile off the tee and hitting all the par-5s in two. I don’t hit the ball a country mile and I didn’t stiff my iron shots.”

After back-to-back events in the United Arab Emirates, the European Tour caravan now moves to Saudi Arabia for the inaugual Saudi International, which will provide a fresh challenge for everyone in the field at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

“It will be interesting to see what it is like,” said Ramsay, one of eight Scots currently in the line up for the $3.5 million event. “But, at the moment, I can’t get my mind off what has happened as it feels as if I have been dragged through a hedge backwards.

“That’s two weeks in a row where I’ve suffered in a final round and I honestly don’t know why.”

Two-time winner Stephen Gallacher signed off by making an eagle and six birdies, the only disappointment being that he had to settle for a 70 to finish in a tie for 67th on two-under.

“I played s*** on Friday but, apart from that, I played okay and my good is brilliant,” he said. “I’m hitting it 335 yards down the middle off the tee and I’m hitting nine fairways at that.

“It’s just the odd bad shot that is killing me. I’ve hit it in the water twice at the short fourth after making a good start, taking 6 and 5 there the last two days.

“I missed the fairways at the par-5s a couple of times, but I played great today, hitting some lovely shots, should have shot 65 or 66 no bother. I drove it good for three days. I just need to get rid of the occasional bad one.”

Marc Warren, the third Scot to make the cut after coming through a qualifier, finished birdie-birdie for a 72 as he finished joint-71st on one-over.