MAX WALKER GUNNING FOR THIRD SCOTTISH CHALLENGE WIN
PREVIEW BY NEIL AHERN
Sam
Walker is in high spirits as he prepares for this title defence at
this
week’s Scottish Hydro Challenge presented by Macdonald
Hotels and
Resorts at the beautiful Macdonald Spey Valley golf
course in Aviemore.
The
Englishman claimed his second Scottish Hydro Challenge title
last year
after rain forced the cancellation of the final round before
Walker
emerged victorious from a play-off with fellow
third round
leader Simon Wakefield to decide the winner.
That
came after Walker won the inaugural edition of this event in
at Murcar Links in 2006 and
the Birmingham man admits that
Scotland does hold a special place in his
heart.
“I don’t know whether I'm maybe half-Scottish or something but I
seem to do well here wherever I play,” said the 35 year old.
“It’s
a great place. You can’t say anything bad about this place,
the golf
course and the scenery are incredible. It’s a little bit
different to
last year, it’s bouncing a little bit more and
that
will play into certain players’ hands.
“I'm
quite relaxed and I'm going to just go out there and enjoy it
and take
it all in. This event is a bit more special for me than other
events,
just because I like the place. I like where
we stay and the
area, and myself and a few of the lads all stick
together and eat
together. It’s a good atmosphere and then we come and
play a
great golf course.”
Walker
sealed his best finish of the season in the Czech Republic
two weeks
ago as a final round 66 earned him a share of second
place behind
François Calmels of France.
Currently 18th
in the Challenge Tour Rankings, he will be hoping
the good memories of
his win at this venue last year will give his
season another timely
boost as he chases one of
the 15 European
Tour cards on offer at the end of the Challenge Tour
season.
“I
would love to win this again and I'm playing well enough,” he
said.
“From tee to green I'm better than I was last year so it’s just
down to
me staying patient and holing a few putts, which
you need
to do out there.
“There
are a lot of holes where you can pick up shots and it can
be very
difficult with the wind. I hope it will play into my
favour and I can
claim a third one.”
Every
single former winner of this event is in the field this week,
with
Walker joined by Edouard Dubois (2011), George Murray
(2010), Jamie
McLeary (2009), Taco Remkes (2008) and Robert
Dinwiddie
(2007).
Nick
Dougherty revisits the country where he claimed the biggest
of his
three European Tour titles, the Alfred Dunhill Links
Championship in
2007, and both multiple winners on the Challenge
Tour this year, François Calmels and Brooks Koepka, are in the
field as
they chase a third victory which would earn them
automatic promotion to The European Tour.
automatic promotion to The European Tour.
George Murray hoping for romantic return to
Aviemore
George Murray from
Anstruther is relishing
his return to the
venue of his maiden
Challenge Tour title,
and the Highlands
town where he
proposed to his wife,
as he
heads to the
Scottish Hydro
Challenge hosted
by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts this week.
It
will be the first time back at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club
for
Murray since 2010, when he stormed to a four-stroke victory
over Sweden’s
Magnus A Carlsson.
A
year prior to that, the 30 year old Fifer proposed to his wife
Carrie in the
picturesque town of Aviemore, which has hosted the
Scottish Hydro
Challenge for the past four years.
“I
played great that week in 2010, probably the best I've ever
played,”
said Murray, who is a member of Team Scottish Hydro, a
group of five
Scottish Challenge Tour players who receive funding
from the tournament’s title sponsor.
“It was great to win up there. It was my first win as a professional
too so it was excellent.
“I
led from the first day and afterwards I moved to third in the
Rankings,
and I kept playing solidly that year and got my European
Tour card.
“I
love it up there. I go up a lot with my family and got engaged up
there. We went for a nice little walk out to a loch – the most
nerve-
wracking walk of my life!
“There’s
great Scottish food up there, haggis and what-not, and the
course suits
my eye. I love being in Scotland and the home
comforts. My wife will
come up for the week and I’ll take the dog
up and walk him at night, keep it chilled.”
After a positive start to the Challenge Tour season, with a tied 12th
place finish at the season opener in India before a third place finish
at the Barclays Kenya Open, Murray has
struggled to maintain that
form and also suffered a freak rib injury while travelling to
Madeira last month.
“My
ribs are a lot better now, but I didn’t hit a ball for two weeks
so I
couldn’t expect much from last week in Saint Omer (where he
missed the
cut),” he said.
“I
started well this year and then after those two good finishes I
was still playing alright but I wasn’t holing many putts. Then I got
injured
and I feel like all of a sudden I'm chasing my
tail a bit.
“The
injury came at the wrong time, during two big tournaments in
Madeira
and Saint Omer, which is a bit annoying, but it will fix
itself and I
need to get it going again.
“The
next few weeks will be big for me and hopefully I can get a
big result
soon. Hopefully I can do it in front of the home crowds
next week.”
Murray
and the four other members of Team Scottish Hydro – Jack
Doherty,
Andrew McArthur, Jamie McLeary, another past winner
of the event, and
Lloyd Saltman – will all be harbouring hopes of
a
home win, as will European Tour winners Alastair Forsyth and
Raymond
Russell.
Nick
Dougherty revisits the country where he claimed the biggest
of his
three European Tour titles, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in
2007, and both multiple winners on the Challenge
Tour this year, François Calmels and Brooks Koepka, are in the field as
they chase a third victory which would earn them automatic promotion to
The European Tour
Facebook:
European Tour
Web:
www.europeantour.com
Labels: CHALLENGE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Wednesday, June 19, 2013
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