Scott Jamieson: I'm not going to let small-minded people get to me

Scott Jamieson, one of 10 Scots in the field for this week’s Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, is not going to let “small-minded people” get to him in his quest to add to a sole success on the renamed DP World Tour.

Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman, the 38-year-old was reacting to being accused of being a “choker” in a post by a Scottish-based golf fan on Twitter following the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday.

Helped by an opening nine-under-par 63 at Yas Links, Jamieson led for the first three circuits in the $8 million Rolex Series event before ending up in a tie for 10th following a closing 77.

Having reflected on how things unfolded, the Florida-based player feels he could have “done a better job by sticking to my gameplan” following a poor start on the last day as victory went to Belgian Thomas Pieters.

Scott Jamieson in action during final round of Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

However, Jamieson, who made his breakthrough on the circuit when winning the 2012 Nelson Mandela Championship in Durban, has no intention of allowing himself to get hot under the collar about what anyone else either has to say or think about him

“Look, I’m not going to let some guy or small-minded people get to me,” he said, speaking on the eve of another Rolex Series event at Emirates Golf Club. “They have no idea what it actually takes out here and what we are doing every day to try and achieve our goals.

“We are so blessed to do what we do, but it’s certainly not easy. There are so many sacrifices, not just on my part but everyone around me as well. That’s the important thing, not what anyone else thinks.”

While his week ultimately ended on a bit of a low note, the Glaswegian rightly took a lot of positives from his opening event of 2022 and is determined to use it as a springboard for a big year in his 12th season on the top tour.

“When you lead for three days, you kind of carry that burden or whatever you want to call it, but it was only a one-shot lead going into the final round, which is so minuscule in the grand scheme of things,” he said.

“There’s probably a lot of pressure created from the outside that isn’t really real, if you know what I mean. Yes, I was in a good position to win the tournament, but it was by no means guaranteed that it was going to happen.

“For three days, I was really good from tee to green and also putted well, too. But, after being over par early in the final round, I could probably have done a better job of sticking to my gameplan.

“However, when you’ve been leading for so long and then aren’t any more, you think, ‘I’ve got to do something to catch up’ and that was probably a mistake on my part.

“But iI don’t think I’ve ever led for three rounds in a row, especially not in a tournament of that stature. I’ve just got to learn from it and use it to my advantage next time.

“It’s extremely difficult to win out here. You’ve got to play great and also probably have a little bit of luck on your side.”

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