Why Scot is enjoying some company on and off course in Challenge Tour Grand Final

Life for a golfer travelling around Europe and beyond in a bid to climb the professional ladder can be a lonely existence. Just ask Daniel Young, who has teed it up in 18 different countries on the Challenge Tour this season and been in his own company for most of the time.

The Perth man has pulled his own trolley in the vast majority of his events and, apart from the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge at Newmachar and a couple of others, has chiselled away at the coalface on the second-tier circuit without having any on-course support.

On both counts, it’s part and parcel of professional golf below the top level and, while not the type who necessarily wants to be the centre of attention, it’s understandable that Young is enjoying the fact he’s not only got someone at is side out on the course in this week’s Rolex Grand Final but also people cheering him on outside the ropes.

Daniel Young and his caddie Brian Shezy talk through a shot at Club de Golf Alcanada during the second round of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A | Octavio Passos/Getty Images

Fresh from helping Portugal’s Ricardo Gouevia retain his DP World Tour card with a last throw of the dice in last week’s Genesis Championship in Korea, Brian Shezy is on Young’s bag at Club de Golf Alcanada in Port d’Alcudia and, on the evidence of a brace of three-under-par 69s, the pair are working well together.

“I’ve had Brian on the bag probably half a dozen times,” said the 33-year-old. “He caddies for Ricardo Gouevia and is fresh off a good week but, on weeks off, he’s come and helped me out and I also had him on the bag at Final Stage of the Q-School last year. He knows my game pretty well and we also get on well and I think he’s a great caddie.

“Just having someone to bounce ideas off of is a great thing. I’ve had him on the bag enough to trust his opinion and, more often than not, we’ll come to a right decision and that frees you up a bit to commit to the shot.”

Having done a pretty good job in that respect so far on his debut in the season finale, Young is giving his band of supporters, led by parents Lesley and Ian, as well as girlfriend Katy and also including someone he’s remained friends with through meeting through playing in a pro-am at Desert Springs on mainland Spain plenty to shout about.

“It is nice just to see friendly faces,” admitted the former South African Amateur champion. “If you hit a poor shot, you look around and you’ve got family and friends there and you know it’s not the end of the world. Equally, if you hit a nice shot or hole a putt, it’s nice to feel a bit of positive energy from outside the ropes to try and feed off, which I think will be quite important over the weekend.”

Having started the week sitting 27th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, Young is up one spot in the projected standings through sitting joint-11th at the halfway stage, with young Spaniard Angel Ayora having backed up his course-record 62 on Thursday with a 65 to hold a two-shot lead on 17 under.

The top 22 in the rankings on Sunday night will secure DP World Tour cards and Young is hoping he can come up with something low over the weekend, having already shown he is capable in that respect by signing for three 65s this season.

“It was a bit better today in terms of not being so up and down,” he said of an effort that started birdie-birdie, included an important par putt at the ninth after dropping his sole shot of the day at the previous hole before adding gains at the 11th and 15th coming home. “My iron play was a lot better than yesterday, so I gave myself a lot more chances than I did yesterday. Probably didn’t convert as many as I would have liked, but three under is still a decent round.

“Angel looks as though he could be running away with it, but I think I am in a decent spot after playing two decent rounds of golf. So more of the same hopefully I can produce one of those low ones that really vaults you up the leaderboard.”

Euan Walker, the other Scot in the 46-man field, sits three shots behind Young after a frustrating day left him having to settle for a level-par 72. “Yeah, I just wasn’t very good,” said the Ayrshireman, who dropped shots at three of the par 3s but didn’t feel that had necessarily been the root of how his day had panned out.

Euan Walker hits a shot during the second round in Port d’Alcudia | Octavio Passos/Getty Images

“To be honest, everything,” he replied to being asked what he felt needed to improve for the final 36 holes. “I didn’t do anything well today. Yeah, nothing was really good. I’ve been hit or miss with the putter this year. Sometimes it’s been very, very good, but I’ve also had a few rounds where it has been very bad.There is no real reason and it is just frustrating when it happens.”

Walker, who has missed out on a card by a few spots two years in a row, is still sitting 24th in the projected rankings, with Ayora on course to finish No 1 and closest challenger Kristoffer Reitan having moved into the top 22 on the back of opening efforts of 65-64.

“Och, I can’t really,” insisted Walker of not getting too caught up in the standings with two rounds still to go. “I’ve worked hard all year and what can I do between today and tomorrow apart from just out and try my best. There is nothing else I can do.”

Hamish Brown, the Dane who has twice this season and is already guaranteed one of the covered main tour cards, is inside the top ten after a second-round 67 that was watched by his father, Perthshire man Marcus.

“It’s nice,” said Brown of him being here this week. “We can get a bit annoyed with each other sometimes. We did that yesterday, when he got annoyed with me and I got annoyed with him. But that’s golf and that’s fine as we work it out well.”