Martin Dempster: David Drysdale was let down by the golfing gods when he needed them most

The golfing gods, eh? Where were they when David Drysdale needed them in his corner on Sunday in the final hour or so in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters?
David Drysdale hit lots of brilliant shots in the final few holes of the Qatar Masters, including this one from a bunker. Picture: Getty.David Drysdale hit lots of brilliant shots in the final few holes of the Qatar Masters, including this one from a bunker. Picture: Getty.
David Drysdale hit lots of brilliant shots in the final few holes of the Qatar Masters, including this one from a bunker. Picture: Getty.

If ever anyone deserved a first win on the European Tour, it surely has to be the 44-year-old Cockburnspath man and, in his 498th attempt, he came the closest yet.

By his own admission, Drysdale didn’t play as well as he’d have liked in the final round at Education City Golf Club in Doha, but, at the same time, managed to hang in there.

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That in itself was a big positive, especially as his game had been off the boil for more than a year and it seemed as though his 19th season on the circuit could turn into a slog.

It was the way Drysdale performed when the chips were down, though, that will make him feel as if he has found a new lease of life with that milestone 500th appearance on the horizon.

His deft splash out from sand to save par at the 16th was simply sensational. “Probably the best bunker shot I’ve hit in my life,” he said of an effort that effectively kept his title hopes flickering.

Six times, he stood up on the tee at the 513-yard par-4 18th and hit perfect drives, finding almost the same spot on five occasions. Six times, he hit his approach to within 20 feet, heaping pressure on his title rival, Spaniard Jorge Campillo, every single time.

In short, Drysdale played brilliant golf when he needed to under intense pressure and, on any other day, he would probably have prevailed in a play-off with birdies at the first two extra holes.

That he didn’t was down to some magical putting by Campillo, who rolled in two long ones to match those 3s by Drysdale, who was only three and a half feet away at the second extra hole, before driving a dagger into the Scot’s heart as he clinched victory by holing another good one for a birdie.

“I don’t know what you’ve got to do to win a golf tournament, to be honest,” a gutted Drysdale told me as he drowned his sorrows with a couple of large whiskies in an airport lounge in Doha.

“I hit so many good shots in that play-off, but Jorge holed everything he looked at in it. I don’t know if I will ever get a win out here after that, but, given the golf I’ve played the last 14 months or so, you have got to take the positives out of it and got to be happy.”

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Drysdale makes no secret of the fact that his career will be unfulfilled if he gets to the end of it without tasting success on the European Tour. That’s unsurprising and this one definitely stung.

He will be wondering if this was indeed his last big chance, but, at the same time, it has probably given him a much bigger lift than any of his three previous second-place finishes.

“When I had to stand up over the final few holes and also in the play-off, I felt I hit good shots,” he added. “I think this has shown me that I can hit the shots under pressure to win a golf tournament. That sounds a bit weird, I suppose, given that I didn’t win.

“In my career, I haven’t really been asked that question. I’ve had three seconds in the past and had chances, but I think today proved I can hit good golf shots.”

If those golfing gods had any decency, they’d finally shine on Drysdale and, better still, before he gets to Englisman Malcolm MacKenzie’s record of 509 events.

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