Scotland’s top amateur Sandy Scott forced to put professional plans on hold

After returning from Texas, Nairn golfer admits his short-term goals are ‘fuzzy’

Sandy Scott, who has just completed a four-year spell at Texas Tech, hits a tee shot during a Walker Cup match at Hoylake in September 2019. Picture: David Cannon/Getty Images

Spare a thought for Sandy Scott. After beating a hasty retreat from the US due to the coronavirus, he’s had to finish his degree more than 4,500 miles from Texas Tech. Not the end he’d planned for that chapter in his life and the start of the next one has been thrown into disarray by the pandemic.

Scotland’s highest-rated golfer in the unpaid ranks – he’s sitting tenth in the frozen World Amateur Golf Ranking helped by two wins on the ultra-competitive US college circuit – has his sights set on turning professional this year, but that carefully mapped-out plan has been thrown up in the air.

Tournament golf in Europe is in lockdown and seems set to stay that way until late July/early August at the earliest. It remains to be seen what can be salvaged on the European Tour and Challenge Tour in 2020, with a distinct possibility of a significant knock-on effect.

Due to players who came through last year’s Qualifying School not getting a fair crack of the whip due to so many events either being postponed or cancelled, for example, the card scramble for those circuits could be ditched in a one-off step this time around.

While keen to stress that he’s not feeling sorry for himself at a time when thousands of people are still losing their lives to Covid-19, Scott’s situation is symptomatic of the effect it is having on the sporting world across the board.

“I’m sitting in limbo a little bit,” the 21-year-old from Nairn told Scotland on Sunday. “Before all this, trying to secure a tour card later in the year was definitely the plan and that certainly remains my long-term goal, but the short-term goals are going to be a little fuzzy for the time being.”

Scott, who partnered Bob MacIntyre in Scotland colours, was into the final few weeks of a four-year spell at Texas Tech in Lubbock, which is located just under 300 miles from Dallas, when the world was turned upside down.

“It all happened very quickly,” he said. “In March, we were meant to be playing in a tournament in Arizona and we had flown there. We were about to start a practice round and, all of a sudden, athletic directors from other schools were telling their players they couldn’t compete and should return home. First it was one team then it was four after a little bit of time.

“We started our practice round but the tournament was then cancelled and, soon afterwards, the season was then cancelled. That was all in the space of 24 hours.

“When we got back to school, it probably took me a week to prepare to leave to come home and do 
school from here online from that point on. I finished my school work last week and a weight has been lifted as it feels good to be done. I’ve not heard much talk about a graduation, but I am not expecting anything big. We will just have to wait and see.”

While not always a clear guide about what lies ahead, Scott’s success in the amateur ranks has certainly been eye-catching. In 2015, he recorded three domestic wins – the Stephen Gallacher Foundation Trophy, East of Scotland Open and Scottish Boys Open Stroke Play – in just 40 days. In the US, he landed victories in both the El Macero Classic in Texas and the Carmel Cup in California. His CV also includes appearances in both the Palmer Cup, winning that as part of an International side just under a year ago in Arkansas, and the Walker Cup.

“The whole experience was fantastic and I’d recommend it to anyone,” said Scott of his spell in the US, having followed in the footsteps of Colin Montgomerie, Russell Knox and Martin Laird by combining golf and studies across the pond before embarking on a professional career. “I feel the growth I’ve enjoyed both as a player and person has been tremendous through the help of my team-mates and my coaches.

“The coaches, Greg Sands and Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen, were vital in my improvement and they really cared for you as an individual. They were always there for support. I think looking at myself coming in as a freshman compared to a senior just now, I’ve definitely grown, especially on the mental side of things. Everything I’ve learned over there is so important in terms of moving forward into the professional game.”

Ah, back to that uncertain situation. In fairness, Scott is doing his best to deal with things with a clear and open mind. “It’s difficult,” he admitted. “You have a rough outline of what you expected it [switching to the professional ranks] to look like. It normally doesn’t plan out the way you think it will, but this is certainly a big setback. This is a lot worse than a normal setback.

“But, you know what, it’s been a great journey so far and I am not too worried or stressed. There’s a lot more people in tougher situations than I am at the moment. I’ve just got to be patient in terms of the information that is coming in and I will deal with that and plan accordingly as best as I can. As things start to unravel, it will become a lot clearer. I’ve got plenty of time on my hands and, if achieving my goal of getting on the tour takes a little bit more time than I thought, that’s just the way it is.”

In the meantime, Scott is looking forward to getting back out for a game at his beloved Nairn, where he will be joined, no doubt, by his younger brother and another potential star in the making, Calum. “The course is looking fantastic,” said Scott. “I’ve been down there a couple of times on my bike and for a jog or two. It looks in some of the best conditions I’ve ever seen, which, of course, just makes it worse not being able to get out there at the moment. Not long now, though, and I can’t wait!”

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