Ewen Ferguson excited about 'very cool' Scottish Open appearance as he lifts lid on Doha Masters celebrations

He got in through the side door when making his debut in 2020 but Ewen Ferguson has kicked open the front door of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on this occasion.

On the back of his maiden DP World Tour win in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf on Sunday, the 25-year-old has secured his spot in the $8 million Rolex Series event in July.

Ferguson finished joint-30th behind England’s Aaron Rai at the same venue two years ago, having only secured that opportunity due to the field being diluted because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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With a Challenge Tour graduate ranking at the start of the year, his hopes of returning to the East Lothian venue this summer looked slim due to the tournament also now being on the PGA Tour schedule.

Ewen Ferguson showsoff the trophy after winning the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on Sunday. Picture: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images.Ewen Ferguson showsoff the trophy after winning the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on Sunday. Picture: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images.
Ewen Ferguson showsoff the trophy after winning the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on Sunday. Picture: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images.

But, in one fell swoop, Ferguson has secured a dream date in a field that will include Open champion Collin Morikawa, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, defending champion Min Woo Lee and top-ranked Scot Bob MacIntyre.

“I’ll definitely be in the Scottish Open field now, which is very cool,” Ferguson told The Scotsman after arriving home in Bearsden on the outskirts of Glasgow to a hero’s welcome from his family.

“It was good when I played in the Scottish Open in 2020 and I had a decent result. But this one will be very special due to it being co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour and loads of people are going to be there. I might get a good draw, which would be pretty cool.”

Ferguson picked up a cheque for around £255,000 as he joined fellow Scots MacIntyre, David Law, Grant Forrest and Calum Hill in landing breakthrough wins on the main tour over the last three years.

Ewen Ferguson in action during the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.Ewen Ferguson in action during the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.
Ewen Ferguson in action during the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

The former British and Scottish Boys’ champion celebrated the feat by having dinner with coach Jamie Gough and stand-in caddie Stephen Neilson in Doha on Sunday night before starting the journey home early on Monday morning.

“It was actually really funny because when the bill came I had to turn to them and say ‘I’m very sorry guys but I’ve left my wallet in the hotel and they were like, ‘oh, for goodness sake’,” said Ferguson. “I said to Goughie, ‘it’s on you mate as I’ve made a right arse of it’ (laughing).

“I didn’t have a drink on Sunday night to celebrate as I was up at 4am on Monday morning to get to the airport and I didn’t want to feel ill on the plane. I wanted to appreciate it and reminisce on the way home. Also, I’m at home with my family and loved ones this week so I can have a proper celebration with them.”

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Like him, dad Mark, mum Dorothy, brother Lewis and sister Eilidh are all still pinching themselves. “My dad keeps saying he still can’t believe it and neither can I,” admitted Ferguson, who has jumped 144 spots to 167th in the world rankings.

“It feels unreal bearing in mind I’ve only played six events this year on the DP World Tour and just 37 in total. I’ve done it quite early in my career and, as Goughie was saying as we talked on the flight home, it’s time to look at different goals now.

“Hopefully I can get a major spot this year and there are separate mini-orders of merit on the DP World Tour for both The Open and the US Open.”

Prior to linking up with Gough, Ferguson worked with Gregor Monks, who is now based at Dullatur. “Gregor is such a nice guy and he helped me get to a level where I was still doing fairly well,” he said.

“I then got to the stage where I felt I just needed a wee change to take me to the next level again and Jamie came with the accolades of working with a lot of players and having that experience of being out on tour.”

Happy to be a homebird, Monks was glued the TV on Sunday afternoon as Ferguson finished eagle-par-birdie to follow in the footsteps of both Andrew Coltart and Paul Lawrie in winning the Qatar event.

“I’m ecstatic for him,” he said. “It’s been a bit of a battle for him for quite a number of years now, so I am absolutely delighted to see him get over that line.

“He really is such a competitor and has been from a young age. He was just so consistent through boys’ golf and I think that just made it harder in his bid to make that breakthrough as a professional.”

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Ferguson’s success in the Middle East came just three weeks after he’d squandered a four-shot lead heading into the final round of the Magical Kenya Open. “He’s learned from the disappointments and knocks along the way and hopefully that’s him got the winning feeling back,” added Monks.

“Ewen was a bit of a poster boy when he won the Scottish and British Boys’ event and there’s probably been a bit of pressure from that. But I think he’s in a really happy place at the moment and that’s helped by the people he’s got around him just now, both at home and the guys he’s travelling with. It’s creating such a good bubble for him.

“I was never going to be the guy who travelled the world and I think he’s done the right thing by linking up with Jamie and having somebody on hand out on tour.”

Ferguson’s first start as a tour winner is likely to be in the first leg of a double-header in Spain next month. “I’m not going to start taking loads of weeks off,” he insisted. “I feel like I play well when I’m on a roll of events. I’ll probably play 30 events this year simply as I like playing.”

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