Golf: Ex-Dunfermline footballer eyes Euro Tour

NEIL FENWICK, who saw his dream of becoming an SPL star shattered when he was released by Dunfermline, is now hoping to follow in David Drysdale's spike marks all the way on to the European Tour.

The 22-year-old, who cut his golfing teeth at Baberton and has completed his PGA training under Jacky Montgomery at Dunbar, is off to try his luck as a Tour pro after securing sponsorship for the next three years from an Edinburgh-based eCommerce company.

He's starting on the EPD Tour, one of the third-tier circuits in Europe, and is hoping he can eventually climb all the way to the top of the ladder to join Drysdale, another former Dunbar trainee, on the money-spinning European Tour.

"In my three years working in the shop at Dunbar, I played in a few tournaments in my second and third year and did quite well in some of the assistants' events on the Tartan Tour," said Fenwick, originally from Currie but now living in Leith. "That was despite the fact I was still working long hours, which meant I was either practising before I was in the shop or after I was finished.

"It made me think what I could do if I could practice for 40 or so hours a week like some of those players I was up against and now I'm lucky to be in a position where I'm going to be able to find out.

"Through one of the members who I've been teaching - he wants to remain anonymous but the company sponsoring me is RSTO - I've secured some support that will enable me to play tournament golf for the next three years.

"I'm starting on the EPD Tour in Morocco next month and will see how I get on in the first three events on that circuit before deciding what my schedule will be for the rest of the year.

"There's also the PGA EuroPro Tour, but I was speaking to Grant Jackson, an English player who got his Challenge Tour card off the EPD circuit, and he says it's a good Tour to play. I will also play some events in Scotland on the Tartan Tour.

"I feel I need to play full-time to see how far I can progress. At 22, this is a great opportunity for me. I can play and practice when I want to and also go the gym a lot more.

"Jackie Montgomery has been a great help. He coaches me and is also being a mentor, using his vast experience to help me with the whole process."

In getting a PGA qualification under his belt before trying his luck on Tour, Fenwick is following in the footsteps of players like Paul Lawrie and Ian Poulter as well as Drysdale.

"If you look at someone like David Patrick, he is doing it the other way around, taking his PGA qualifications now after giving it a go on the Challenge Tour for a spell," he added.

"However, part of the reason things have worked out differently for me is that I had to make a choice between football and golf when I was a teenager and I went for the former.

"I signed for Dunfermline, getting a two-year pro deal at the time Jim Leishman was still the manager. I also had a spell under Stephen Kenny.

"Unfortunately, after the club was relegated from the SPL, there were a lot of cuts and that led to virtually the whole youth team having to be let go.

"I was working with Dave McPherson and was looking to go to Australia, but he managed to get me a job at the Kings Acre Driving Range.

"I had been off scratch at Baberton, where I played a lot of my golf with (former Scottish Boys' champion] Paul Ferrier, also with Andy Laurence, and I started playing more again.

"I was training with Stenhousemuir when Alan Murdoch, the pro at Kings Acre, asked me if I'd be interested in doing the PGA qualification so I went for it.

"In a way, I'm glad I have taken this route rather than coming through the SGU ranks as I think that adds a lot of pressure to you when you turn pro.

"I am well aware that I'm following in the footsteps of people like David Drysdale, Paul Lawrie and Ian Poulter. They've all proved you can become a successful Tour pro through the PGA route and I'm certainly taking inspiration from them."

Fenwick, who is off to Portugal with Montgomery soon to get some warm weather practice, produced his best performance so far on the Tartan Tour in last year's 54-hole young pros' event at Shotts.

He spreadeagled the field with a course-record 63, seven-under, in the opening round and went on to land the title by five shots, beating a line-up that included the likes of Patrick, Graham Fox and Gareth Wright.

Helped by that success, Fenwick went into the last event, the Young Professionals' Championship, leading the order of merit only to be pipped at the post by former Walker Cup player Patrick. "I had thought about trying my luck at the European Tour Qualifying School at the end of last year but it was a bit too soon after I had finished my training," he said.

"In waiting, I've been able to clear my head and now I can't wait to get started in Morocco. The support I'm receiving is pretty substantial and should be enough to cover my expenses etc for the three years."