Scottish tour pros put return on hold due to travel issues

Liam Johnston and Daniel Young pull out of Austrian Open

Golfer Daniel Young. Picture: Craig Foy/SNS

Next week’s European Tour restart in Austria is proving a major headache for a posse of Scots hoping to get back to work following the coronavirus lockdown.

Liam Johnston and Daniel Young have already withdrawn from the Austrian Open, which is scheduled to start at the Diamond Country Club near Vienna next Wednesday, due to travel issues.

Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson, Craig Howie, Marc Warren and Bradley Neil are all still on the official entry list, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to make the journey. Direct flights from the UK to Austria have all been cancelled, forcing a major rethink just when it seemed as though there was some light at the end of the tunnel.

The Austrian Open and a second tournament in the same country the following week, the Euram Bank Open, are set to mark the return of both the European Tour and Challenge Tour as dual-ranking events.

Both tournaments will have prize funds of €500,000 and are set to tee up the European Tour’s full return with the Betfred British Masters, which is being hosted by Lee Westwood at Close House, near Newcastle, from July 22-25.

For Young, the Austrian double-header was set to provide a welcome opportunity to build on a promising start to his rookie season on the Challenge Tour, but that is now back on hold. “I’ve withdrawn from both events,” the 28-year-old, who is attached to Kingsbarns Golf Links, told The Scotsman.

“It seems as though all flights from the UK to Austria have been cancelled as of earlier in the week and it all seems a bit too much hassle right now just to get there, let alone deal with all the other precautions in place.”

Young, who secured his Challenge Tour card through last year’s Qualifying School in Spain, added: “It’s definitely a little disappointing, but these are difficult times for everybody. There are still more important things going on in the world than golf right now. But hopefully we can get back competing sooner rather than later.”

Johnston’s withdrawal from the two events was announced by his management company, Edinburgh-based Bounce Sports. “Unfortunately, everything became just too tricky with direct flights cancelled between the UK and Austria,” it said in a post on Twitter.

Howie, who sits 19th in the Road to Mallorca standings after a strong start to the campaign, is still intending to make the journey despite seeing his original plans scuppered.

“I’m considering flying to Munich and then driving to Vienna from there,” said the Peebles man. “With no travel restrictions in Germany, it seems like a decent option.”

It is understood that players are unlikely to face any problems getting into Austria for the events due to the work that has been carried out over the past few weeks by the European Tour with the Austrian Government regarding visa requirements, but the airline situation is clearly outwith its control.

A European Tour spokesperson said: “We are aware of travel issues for some of our UK based players caused by airline cancellations. European Tour Travel Services are assisting where possible to help find alternative arrangements for them.”

Three winners on the European Tour in the past couple of seasons - Finn Sami Valimaki, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Dutchman Joost Luiten - head the Austrian Open entry list, which also includes former Ryder Cup player and current Champions Tour regular Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Meanwhile, Meghan MacLaren has secured a spot in the rescheduled US Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston in December. The English player has been added to the field along with fellow Europeans Esther Henseleit, Marianne Skarpnord, Christine Wolf and Nuria Iturrioz as the top-five finishers on last season’s LET Order of Merit.

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