Scottish Open: Richie Ramsay storms into contention with brilliant 65

No matter what happens in the final round, and he’s hoping it might be something really special, Richie Ramsay reckons his Saturday salvo in the abrdn Scottish Open can be his well for the remainder of his career.

Richie Ramsay was delighted with his day's work in the third round of the abrdn Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

“There was a lot of control out there, my swing felt really good,” said the 38-year-old Aberdonian after signing for a bogey-free six-under-par 65 at The Renaissance Club, where he has been based since moving to Edinburgh.

“I struggled a little bit mentally yesterday, didn’t play the way I could. I went on the range afterwards, worked on it and got the feelings back that I wanted to and Ian [Rae, his coach] was here this morning for a little tune up.

“It was just a case of trying to go out on the course and doing the same things, and today I managed to do that as well as any day this year, executing a lot of shots the way I wanted to.”

The effort, which was capped by a superb approach to five feet at the last after finding the exact spot he’d picked out to land the ball so that it would run up the green, moved him to 10-under and in the hunt for a fourth European Tour title.

“Today is one of those days that I will put in the bank and use at some point in the next six months. I don’t know when, but I will use it as fuel,” said Ramsay.

“There are times when things get on the top of you and you think, ‘what am I doing this for?’ You will think to yourself, ‘remember that Saturday when I shot 65 on the Saturday in the Scottish Open in a world-class field on a course that is no giveaway’.

“That will make you go to the gym, get training and get the mindset right. Everybody has doubts, it’s a matter of whether you can bounce back quick enough or you succumb to those doubts and go down a rabbit hole or into a dark place searching for stuff you shouldn’t really be searching for.”

The former US Amateur champion still cherishes memories of being a fan at this event as a kid when it was held at Gleneagles.

“It probably means more,” he replied to being asked if he still possessed the same hunger and desire to win a Scottish Open as he did at the start of his professional career.

“Once you get older, there is more going on off the course. It is easier to get yourself motivated when you are younger, that’s not to say I don’t have motivation now.

“Moments like today give you an insight into yourself and says that you can still compete out here. know where I am in my career. I know that I am not going to be around forever.

“The opportunity to play in a Scottish Open on your home course against one of the best fields in the world, you have to cherish that and not put yourself under too much pressure.”

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