Macauley shows he can rise to challenge

A FIRST hole eagle helped Scotland’s Callum Macaulay make a dream start to his maiden Challenge Tour campaign, as he finished day one of the Kenya Open two shots behind fellow rookie Jake Roos of South Africa.

Despite damp conditions underfoot at Muthaiga Golf Club, which was caused by 12 hours of overnight rainfall in Nairobi, Macaulay – who has played on the Challenge Tour as an amateur but never as a professional – posted a four-under-par 67 to sit in third place, one shot behind Sweden’s Andreas Hgberg in second.

Like England’s Robert Dinwiddie, who sits in a share of fourth place alongside eight other players on three under par, the Scot is striving to bounce back to the European Tour at the first time of asking after surrendering his playing privileges last year.

Starting at the tenth hole, he got off to the perfect start with an eagle 3 before notching birdies at the three remaining par 5s, with the only blip coming at the second hole, where he missed the green with his tee shot.

Macaulay, who enjoyed an outstanding amateur career which culminated in him earning a place on the European Tour through the 2008 Qualifying School, said: “I was hoping to get off to a good start, so an eagle on my first hole wasn’t a bad way to do it. It’s a good start to my Challenge Tour career – I played the 2007 Scottish Challenge as an amateur, but this is my first event as a pro. It’s also my first visit to Kenya, and so far I’ve been impressed. I was in India last month for the Avantha Masters, and that was a real eye-opener. But the hotel here’s very nice and I was also impressed with the course. It’s pretty hot now, but I’ve coped ok – I went to Mississippi State University for five years, so I got used to the heat over there.”

Macaulay is also still getting used to life in the pro ranks, having only relinquished his amateur status at the end of 2008. Despite some eye-catching performances on the European Tour last year, most notably a back nine of 28 which saw him finish runner-up in Madeira, he struggled for consistency at times, eventually finishing 134th in the Race to Dubai. But the 26-year-old is confident of restoring his confidence on the Challenge Tour this term.

He said: “I played a few events on the main Tour at the start of the season, but I’ll be concentrating mainly on the Challenge Tour. As great as the experience of playing on The European Tour was last year, I still feel I’m learning my trade – and the Challenge Tour is a great place to do that.

“When I was trying desperately to keep my card, I changed my mindset. Instead of trying to win I was concentrating on just making the cut, and that probably cost me. I’m now thinking about winning tournaments again, and hopefully I can carry that through the rest of the season. If and when I get back onto the main Tour, I should be a better player – and a wiser one.”