David Drysdale relishing two big 'home' events on Asian Tour

Since becoming an Asian Tour card holder, David Drysdale has played in Thailand, India, Hong Kong, Vietnam and, most recently, Indonesia. Later in the year, he’s off to Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Bangladesh, Macau and back to Hong Kong again.

David Drysdale lines up for his putt during the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil in July. Picture: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images.

For the next two weeks, though, the Asian Tour action for Drysdale is a lot closer to home as the circuit stages an International Series double-header at Close House near Newcastle and Fairmont St Andrews.

“Back in January when I secured my card, I never thought for one minute there would be two events an hour-and-a-half form our doorstep,” said the 48-year-old, who, close to Cockburnspath, lives slap bang in the middle of the two venues.

Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed and Graeme McDowell are among a group of LIV Golf players teeing up in the $2 million event at Close House while Reed is being joined by fellow Masters winner Sergio Garcia at Fairmont St Andrews for the $1.5 million St Andrews Bay Championship.

“It’s fantastic,” said Drysdale, who is being joined in flying the Saltire by Rory Franssen in the first leg after he won a qualifier earlier at the Northumberland venue in the year, of the two upcoming opportunities on the circuit he turned to after losing his DP World Tour card at the end of last year after 574 appearances and 21 seasons.

“I obviously played the British Masters at Close House in 2017 and then also the first event back (when Westwood hosted the same event for a second time) after the lockdown in 2020. I also played at Fairmont St Andrews for the last three years (in the Scottish Championship in 2020 the two Hero Opens). Yeah, I should definitely have a little bit of an advantage from knowing both venues reasonably well.

“Looking at the fields, there are 20 LIV guys playing in each event. Westwood, Poulter are playing at Close House then you’ve got Sergio and some of the other Spanish and Latin American guys playing at the Fairmont. It will be interesting and it’s a great opportunity for the golfing public to come along and see all these players they’ll no longer be able to watch on the European Tour.”

Drysdale had been hoping people might have occasionally seen him tnis year on what is now called the DP World Tour this year. “I’ve written to try and get invites for eight events on the main tour, but with no luck whatsoever,” he said. “Reading between the lines, It may have something to do with the fact I now have an Asian Tour card. But that has been a little bit disappointing after playing 574 events over 21 seasons.

“The Asian Tour has been great, though, and has potential to grow. I’m 48 and I’ve got a couple of years before I can play on the Seniors Tour. Losing my card last year came a couple of years too early for me in that respect and that was the whole reason for me going to the Asian Tour Q School.

“I didn’t get a great card, but I have managed to get from 38th to seventh in the re-rank so it’s looking as though I will get into 90 per cent of the events for the rest of the season.”