Marc Warren and Connor Syme give Scottish golf a timely lift

What an encouraging few weeks it's been for Scottish golf and well done to Marc Warren and Connor Syme in particular for putting a spring back in the sport in its birthplace.

Connor Syme, right, pictured on the Swilken Bridge with Liam Johnston, left, and Grant Forrest has made an impressive start to his pro career. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

From 173rd three weeks ago, Warren is now up to 56th in the Race to Dubai on the back of two top-five finishes and all credit to the 34-year-old for the way he has turned his season around. Warren suffered a nasty shoulder injury earlier this year but, rather than making a song and dance about it, he battled through a torrid time and is now being rewarded for showing patience when it was required more than ever in his career.

It’s onwards and upwards now for Warren and everything is pointing to him being joined on the European Tour before too long by Syme because, quite frankly, the 22-year-old Fifer looks as though he was made for that stage. For Syme to have started his professional career with two top-15 finishes on the main European circuit is incredibly impressive, showing that Rory McIlroy was certainly being honest and not just nice when he heaped praise on the Drumoig player following their practice round on the eve of the Dunhill Links.

Like Rory, I think Syme is just as impressive as a person and here’s hoping that the start is just a taste of things to come from him. Liam Johnston and Robert MacIntyre, too, deserve praise after they both got their pro careers off to encouraging starts. The former finished inside the top 50 in the Dunhill Links and the latter closed with a course-record 64 in tying for third on the Mena Tour in Jordan.