Ramsay’s ‘Care Free’ Golf Takes Him To Within One Of Bahrain Play-Off

Richie Ramsay played ‘care free’ in superbly muscling his way to within one shot of the play-off at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Golf Championship.

Ramsay, 41, came from share of 19th and into a a then clubhouse share of the lead at 13-under-par thanks to a superb bogey-free 68 on the host Colin Montgomerie designed Royal Golf Club course.

It proved one shot shy with England’s Laurie Canter, who ​earlier this year played in the Ryder Cup-theme Team Cup in Abu Dhabi, holing ​a three-footer winning birdie at the first extra hole after Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal horribly bogeyed the 72nd hole ​in a score of 70 to end on 14-under and thus open the door for Canter and fellow Brit Daniel Young who had moments earlier also ended their rounds at 14-under.

Canter​ signed for a 69 and Young a 70, and with Larrazabal very disappointingly and for a second straight occasion again taking bogey at the first play-off hole, as did Young.

It was a bitter blow for Larrazabal who was looking to secure a 10th Tour title.

In contrast, Ramsay was clearly delighted with his eventual share of fourth with three others and in a best Tour finish for the Scot since a T3rd effort last August in the Czech Masters while his Bahrain finish is his 50th top-10 result in 419 Tour events.

He said: “I played great and just missed one fairway while my iron play was great today

“On the front nine, I just had chance after chance but only making just the one birdie on nine”.

And while pleased with his effort, it could have been a few shots lower as Ramsay burned the hole on a number of occasions including just missing late back nine birdie putts at 17, where his ball lipped-out and also with his seven-foot at 18 stopping six inches shy.

Ramsay recently revealed to Record Sport the pressure he was under having been dropped as a ‘staff player’ by the game’s leading equipment suppliers, meaning he’s now a free agent but also now not enjoying the enormous support he has received for so many years​.

He said: “My mindset was really good all week.

“I made some decisions in my head with what I wanted to do moving forward, and I felt I played without any, not that I don’t care but I played quite care-free”.

Fellow 41-year-old Scott Jamieson Jamieson pulled-off one of the best par saves on day four after finding the water down the right side of the 17th.

After taking a penalty drop, Jamieson landed his​ now third shot some 18-feet shy of the flagstick and then walked-up and rolled-in a superb par save in a bogey-free 65 and a 10-under tally.

The Florida-based Scot’s effort continues a run of low last day scores having posted a 67 last Sunday on the final day of the Ras Al Khaimah to share eighth while Jamieson shot a sizzling 64 last December to grab a tie for ninth at the Mauritius Open.

OTHER SCOTS ..

Connor Syme (75) – Six-under 282

Grant Forrest (70) – Five-under 283

MEANTIME ….

Aberdonian David Law has secured his second top-10 finish in as many weeks after his share of ninth the secondary Tour’s My Life Open in South Africa.

It comes after last week’s T8th and the efforts taking the Scot, who lost his maiden Tour card at the end of last year, to fifth on the newly-named Hotel Planner Tour.



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