Vivendi Seve Trophy hero Scott Jamieson returns to normal competition next week at St. Andrews looking at taking a first step in qualifying for next year’s Ryder Cup.
The quietly-spoken Scot has yet to pick up any Ryder Cup points since qualifying started earlier this month in Switzerland but Jamieson’s on a high being one of Paul McGinley’s top point-scorers managing three points from his four matches including a vital Single’s point over Pablo Larrazabal that helped turned the tide in GB & I’s favour.
Paul McGinley embraces Scott Jamiesonf who is now targeting the Ryder Cup. (Photo - Jenny Matthews/www.golffile.ie)
The goal now for Jamieson is fourfold – a first Tour victory, qualify for the season-ending Dubai World Championship, capture the Rookie of the Year award and be on the flight this time next year to Medinah.
Jamieson ‘came of age’ in France playing alongside the likes Ryder Cup winning stars Ross Fisher and World No. 2 Lee Westwood, and then holding off Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal, a winner of two Tour events, to help steer GB & I to a second straight success.
“When I get back to the European Tour next week at St. Andrews I am going to have a real spring in my step,” he said.
“I also could not have asked for a better place to resume normal competition than Scotland and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“Time will answer the question whether or not the Vivendi Seve Trophy will be a real big step in my career but I would like to think so.
“It was a big stage to compete on last week with so many Ryder Cup players and Tour winners and here was me as one of the highest world ranked players.
“So to be able contribute three points from my four matches was a big confidence lift for me.
“I’ve now some big events coming up like St. Andrews and Portugal so I’ve great opportunities in those events left this year to grab that first Tour win that would no doubt help secure the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award, and also cement a place in Dubai.
“But now having played in one team event I’m hungry to play in that bigger team event this time next year, so that now is a big goal.”
And also boosting Jamieson’s confidence as he returns to the Tour was playing alongside Lee Westwood in the Saturday morning ‘Greensome’.
And Westwood was also again very complimentary of Jamieson, who he played alongside to win Saturday’s ‘Greensome’.
Westwood said: “Scott but also the other two rookies in Mark (Foster) and Jamie (Donaldson) need to realise just how good as players they are.
“Mark is the biggest culprit of the three not knowing how good he is, and not believing how good he is.
“But holing the winning putt as Mark did on Sunday, and Scott winning the way he did over Pablo just shows that they can handle the pressure.
“So why not go out and do it in the regular tour events?
“Though the funny thing with Scott was that we were in the team room on Tuesday and I was looking around and there’s this one chap in the corner who I thought to myself ‘who’s that?’
“I figured it must have been Scott so before this week I’d never even said ‘hello’ to him.
“But Scott and the others will have learned so much from the week.”
