Scotland’s Calum Hill is staring at six events in three countries and on two continents left this year to assure himself the added prize of being home in Scotland to contest next year’s 150th Open Championship.
Hill, 26, dropped a place to be now ranked 26th on the Race to Dubai following last week’s share of 17th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews.
The reigning Cazoo Classic champion needs to end 2021 among the top-30 on the Tour’s money list for the assurance of being in the 2022 Old Course field for what would be his maiden Open Championship showing.
He said: “My big goal is to finish off the year as high as I possibly can on the Race to Dubai.
Scotland’s Calum Hill determined to be teeing-up in next year’s 150th Open at St. Andrews
“There’s six events remaining so six events to continue trying my hardest and keep moving up the Race to Dubai and you also to assure myself I am back to St. Andrews next year for The Open.
“For what St. Andrews means to the Scottish people and all golfers, and to be able to play in the Open Championship next year on a course where I used to practice as a junior and played in such events as the Links Trophy would be simply brilliant.”
Helping keep Hill’s spirits high was playing last Saturday’s third round of the Dunhill Links in the company of Ireland’s Shane Lowry. Lowry had competed a week earlier in a first Ryder Cup while he’s a former Open, WGC, Irish, Portugal and Abu Dhabi champion.
Lowry jumped brilliantly from the day three gate to birdie five of his opening eight holes in an Old Course round of 67 that took him into a day four sharing second while the young Scot posted a 70.
Hill said: “I would love a bit of Shane’s short game (smiling). No, we had a really good time and it was great fun playing with Shane as it’s the first time we have been out together.
“He’s a really jovial sort of guy. He likes to tell a few jokes and he told some great stories from competing in the Ryder Cup. Obviously, Shane has achieved a lot of things in the game that I would like to achieve myself. So, it was nice to play a round alongside him and see how he handles various shots.
“When you get to play alongside players like Shane I do hope to learn and continue to improve my own game and saying that, my own game is getting better and I have a nice feeling about it, at the moment.
“I don’t have incremental goals I set myself or targets I need to achieve throughout the season but then as long as it’s going in the right direction then I am pretty happy”.
Hill is among eight Scots contesting the Spanish Open and first staged in 1912 and with World No. 1 Jon Rahm looking to become only the second player since countryman Angel de la Torre (1916-17 & 1919) to win the event three years in succession.
