.…. Fatiha Betscher at Le National

Exciting Scottish-born Ewen Ferguson is looking to play the best of Country & Western along with the top hits of Niall Horan to help him secure selection in next year’s European Ryder Cup side.

Ferguson’s a double DP World Tour winner and while now being joined by close friend Robert MacIntyre with two career wins apiece, the 26-year-old Scot harbours his own dreams of travelling to Rome in a year’s time.

And after posting an opening one-under 70 on day one of the Cazoo French Open, the Tour’s likely 2022 ‘Rookie of the Year’ spoke of how music is helping with the ultra-positive sounds coming from Ferguson’s golf game.

Ferguson said: “Unlike Rory (McIlroy) I don’t read a lot of books but I draw a lot on music as I find it helps with my state of mind, and I use the music to get me feeling good, and it’s why I enjoy listening so much to American Country and Western.

Scotland’s double DP World Tour winning Ewen Ferguson

“It makes me feel happy and excited about life, keeping me in a nice frame of mind. It helps me wishing to do well in life. Helps me to enjoy all the travelling we undertake and so many other things.

“Also, Niall Hornan is my agent so I dive into his music and his music also inspires me and I try to feed off what he’s achieved in his own musical career.

“So, listening to music is instrumental in my golfing career.”

Ferguson won twice this year within a 14 event period and then went with a shot of a third victory two events later in Denmark, and he knows if he continues in this vein he will be a member of Luke Donald’s Marco Simone side.

Ferguson said: “If I continue to take care of playing good golf goals like playing in a Ryder Cup will happen but then I’m not rushing, so if I can keep doing all the small things right, who knows where in the bigger picture you can end-up.

“The good thing is that Scottish golf is riding a real high at the moment, with Bob winning last week while Richie (Ramsay) went so close at The Belfry and then won a few weeks later.

“It seems to happen when you have a bunch of players around the same age as we are each good friends, we travel together and we’re now feeding off each other.

“When I won there’s my friend like Connor (Syme) saying that he wants to win so much.

“I went close to winning the Made In Himmerland (runner-up) and played alongside Bob (MacIntyre) that week, and he was saying that he wanted to win again and go to that next level in his career, and three events later he won in Italy.

“So, while it’s fabulous I’ve won twice this year it’s also really inspiring seeing your close friends doing so well.  We really are all good friends and it’s a great feeling being successful together and also having a life off the course, as well