James Ross lands first Scottish golfing success of new decade

James Ross recorded Scotland's first success of the new decade after landing a play-off victory on one of the satellite circuits in the US.
James Ross shows off his cheque after winning on the All Pro Golf Tour in TexasJames Ross shows off his cheque after winning on the All Pro Golf Tour in Texas
James Ross shows off his cheque after winning on the All Pro Golf Tour in Texas

The Royal Burgess man, who is based in Houston, picked up $3000 for his win in the Cypresswood Open on the Texas-based All Pro Tour.

Ross, who recorded his maiden pro victory on the PGA EuroPro Tour at Mannings Heath in Sussex last summer, followed an opening 65 at Cypresswood Golf Club in Spring with a 68 to finish with an 11-under-par total.

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That was matched by American MJ Daffue after he shot a second-round 64, but it was Ross who prevailed at the second extra hole in a sudden-death shoot-out.

"Delighted with a win obviously," said Ross, who is coached by Stephen Brian, the head professional at Royal Burgess.

"I wasn’t really a fan of the course before this week, to be honest, as I’ve never really played that well there in the past.

"But I had a good plan for the few days strategy-wise and felt confident in my swing and what I’ve been working on with Steve.

I’ve been seeing steady progress over the last few months with my game and have been looking forward to putting it under some pressure.

"These APT events are relatively small fields as the weather in Houston this time of year can be dodgy, but it’s just a good opportunity to get prepared for the main season.

"To go 36 holes with only one bogey is definitely a career best for me and I’ll take more positives from that than anything else I think.

"I did check the online leaderboard with a few holes remaining and knew I had to finish at 11 under to tie MJ.

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"Fortunately, I had a good chance with a wedge at the last and hit it to three feet to get into a play-off.

"MJ and I tied the first hole in pars but he hit a wayward drive at the next opening the door for me.

"I’ve now got a week of practise in The Woodlands in Houston next week before heading up to Dallas for a few similar 36-hole events."

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