Rory Franssen recalls 'cool' Palmer Cup with Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland

Rory Franssen hasn’t quite managed to keep pace with two of his fellow 2017 Palmer Cup players, but no wonder the young Scot laughs when he mentions their names.

Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, after all, have both become superstars in a short space of time, each winning six times as professionals to currently sit second and fourth respectively in the world rankings.

“It’s pretty amazing to see what those guys are doing now,” admitted Franssen, who lost to Morikawa, already a two-time major champion, in one of his singles matches playing for Europe against the US in the college equivalent of the Ryder Cup at Atlanta Athletic Club.

“At that time, people didn’t know how good they were going to be so quickly, though you could tell they were amazing players, so that was a cool experience.”

Auchrerarder's Rory Franssen in action during the recent South African Amateur Championship at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club. Picture: GolfRSA

Franssen, who was at the University of Missouri at the time, might have a tough job on his hands catching up with Morikawa and Hovland, but he’s moving in the right direction.

The 23-year-old, who grew up in Inverness but now lives in Auchterarder, reached the final of the South African Amateur Championship recently before finishing third in the South African Stroke Play Championship.

“It’s been a bit more of a gradual process for me,” added Franssen with a chuckle, “but I feel I am getting there. I feel as though I have figured some things out in my game and it’s definitely getting better.

“I’d say that in my second and third year at uni I was trying to find a straight ball flight and make my swing look good. But, towards the end there and since I’ve been home, it’s been more about finding a consistent shape so I’ve gone to a draw and that’s helped my consistency.”

Collin Morikawa, front row centre, celebrates with his team-mates after the US won the 2017 Palmer Cup at Atlanta Athletic Club. Picture: @GolfChannel

Grateful to have been able to be out in South Africa through the generosity of Johann Rupert, the chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont, Franssen was delighted with his performances.

“It was obviously a shame not to win the match play,” he said of falling at the final hurdle in his bid to become the fifth Scot to land the title in 12 years, “while in the stroke play I was so far back after three rounds that winning was never really on the cards.

“But it was great in terms of experience, especially that I’d never got far in match-play tournaments before. It was cool to be able to get through to the final.

“I went to Florida for a few weeks to get some practice in before making the trip to South Africa and I felt I was playing poorly, to be honest.

“I then had a week at home, where I didn’t get a lot of golf in due to the weather, but pre-tournaments in South Africa I felt quite good and, thankfully, I carried that on during my time out there.”

On the back of his eye-catching endeavours, he’s broken into the top 200 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, now the top Scot in the standings with Sandy Scott no longer listed.

“That’s really cool as it’s a goal I’ve always had that as a goal,” said Franssen. “It’s been a great start to the season and getting a win at some point would be nice.”

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