Broken ankle keeps Connor Syme out of UAE trip

Connor Syme: Holiday accident. Picture: Contributed

It happened when he jumped into a swimming pool on a family holiday and, though he is due to have the plaster removed tomorrow, the injury has prevented Syme, 18, from being on a trip that is split between Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

“All being well with the X-ray after the plaster comes off, he should be able to start recuperation straight away,” said Syme’s father, Stuart, a useful amateur himself at the same age and now the club professional at Dumfries & County.

“The SGU have been great since the accident. They immediately sent Connor a programme to work on whilst he’s been injured, which he’s done every day. He has an appointment booked with the physio on Wednesday and will need that for six to eight weeks so, fingers crossed, he’ll be fit again early in the new year.”

Syme won the Scottish Schools title for the second season running at Murrayshall in June. He was also among four Scots picked in the Great Britain & Ireland boys’ team for the Jacques Leglise Trophy at Portmarnock, then produced an eye-catching closing round of 65 at Deeside to finish sixth in the Paul Lawrie Invitational.

The group heading for the Els Club in Dubai as well as Yas Links and Al Ain in Abu Dhabi is headed by British Boys’ champion Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden) and Scottish Boys’ champion Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie).

Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten), Ben Kinsley (St Andrews) and Jamie Savage (Cawder) are the other teenagers in the line-up, which is completed by Scott Borrowman (Dollar), Adam Dunton (McDonald), Scott Gibson (Southerness), Daniel Young (Craigie Hill) and Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie). The latter has retained his amateur status after falling at the first hurdle in the European Tour Qualifying School.