Martin Dempster: Murray’s patient route to success

JUST when we could easily start feeling depressed about the failure of so many of Scotland’s latest batch of rookie professionals to earn Tour cards of note next season, George Murray has delivered a timely reminder about how progress doesn’t necessarily come instantly.

It’s hard to believe that it was just over seven years ago that Murray, an affable Fifer, was crowned as Scottish Amateur champion at Gullane, where he squeezed out a last-green success over Paul O’Hara in the 36-hole title showdown.

As an amateur, he also claimed the Scottish Under-16 Championship, played in three series of Home Internationals and represented Scotland twice in the Eisenhower Trophy, the second appearance, in South Africa, alongside Richie Ramsay and Scott Jamieson, both of whom have also gone on to become European Tour players.

In short, Murray’s CV was every bit as impressive as the likes of James Byrne, David Law and Michael Stewart, yet it has taken the 28-year-old from Anstruther a fair bit of time to properly find his feet in the paid ranks. “It’s not been easy – in fact, it’s been bloody hard work getting to where I am now,” observed Murray in providing the sort of honest assessment we’ve come to expect from him.

At this moment in time, a career-best 77th in the Race to Dubai is where he is after his second-placed finish in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa on Sunday – his second top-three in less than two months on the European Tour.

He picked up a cheque for around £170,000 after finishing third in the Dunhill Links at St Andrews and, having banked another £98,000 or so at the weekend, his earnings for the season are up to £328,500.

No wonder Murray’s reaction to receiving a call to his mobile in South Africa yesterday was a lot more relaxed than it had been at the start of the year, when, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he pointed out: “Da yae ken how much this is costing me?”

Yet, heading into the Dunhill Links at the beginning of October, he still had money worries and was languishing down in 183rd position in the Race to Dubai, facing the distinct possibility of making a sixth trip to the Qualifying School in a few weeks’ time.

His upturn in fortune is a perfect example of the fine line between success and failure at the top level in golf, and as Byrne, Law and Stewart set out on their professional careers, they should all be encouraged by the fact Murray’s rise up the ladder since turning pro in 2006 has been steady rather than spectacular.

In fairness, he got through to the final stage of the Qualifying School at his first attempt and, in doing so, secured a full Challenge Tour card the following season. But, in his first three seasons on the second-tier circuit, he failed to finish higher than 40th on the money-list. “It’s hard to get off the Challenge Tour as the quality is getting better all the time on it,” noted Murray, who clearly benefitted, nonetheless, from his time chiselling away at the coalface.

That became apparent last year, when, helped by a home success in the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Macdonald Spey Valley as well as the fact he rarely missed a cut, he finished tenth on the money-list to earn a step up to the main Tour along with the aforementioned Jamieson.

Now, after finding it tough going for a while – his biggest cheque in 2011 prior to the Dunhill Links was for just over £14,000 – Murray is on the crest of a wave and has even given himself an outside chance of making a late challenge for a place in the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

“I have started striking the ball a lot better after doing a fair bit of work with [coach] Ian Rae,” he said of his recent displays. “My putting has also been a lot better, while Callaway have also brought out some new wedges that I feel really comfortable with.

“Getting into the top 60 in the Race to Dubai is a lot to ask but, if I can get a top five this week [in the South African Open] that would get me into the Hong Kong Open. If I don’t make Dubai, I will be looking forward to a break as it’s been a long and tough season.

“The plan now is to kick on from this season. I’ll be aiming to get a lot of good work in before the start of my 2012 campaign. I’ll be out on the range and also going to the gym to get a bit fitter – and to lose this belly.”

That may be the sort of quip you’d expect to hear from Murray, but he’s certainly shown the stomach for the fight needed to become successful in professional golf.