Saltman bids to get back on same stage as McIlroy

DON’T Stop Believin’, the popular song by American rock band Journey, could well be the top tune on Lloyd Saltman’s play list as he bids to get back on the same stage with Rory McIlroy.

The new Team Scottish Hydro member twice came out on top in head-to-head tussles with McIlroy in their amateur days, when they were also Great Britain & Ireland team-mates in the 2007 Walker Cup.

Their careers may have taken different paths since they joined the paid ranks around the same time, but Saltman is confident a season on the Challenge Tour this year can be a stepping stone back into the limelight.

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“I’m not one to look back at where I was and, equally, where I could be,” said the 27-year-old. “Guys like Rory and Richie [Ramsay], both former Walker Cup team-mates, have done really well and that’s nice.

“But I know, and all of us at this table (his 2013 Team Scottish Hydro counterparts) know that when we are on the top of our game we can compete at that level and that’s exciting.

“A wee decision here or there can be the difference between winning a tournament or getting that result and the exemption to missing your card and being back on the Challenge Tour. It’s all fractions in this game but that’s the exciting thing about it. There are opportunities around the corner everywhere you go.”

He added: “Rory is a dream story and it’s what we all wanted to happen, too. I played him in the last group of the Lytham Trophy and the Irish Open Stroke-Play and on those occasions I came out on top. You know when you play like that you can do it. I know I can win. As soon as you stop believing, that’s the time to stop.”