Scotland’s Richie Ramsay admits thoughts of impending fatherhood and a special book has put him near the top of the board after two rounds of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Ramsay, whose wife Angela is due to give birth at the end of next month, posted a ninth hole double bogey in a run of six birdies, from the seventh to the 13th holes, along with just 22 putts in a round of a six under par 66.
Scot Richie Ramsay proudly showing off his new ‘Carbon’ sponsor on the collar of his shirt. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
England’s Andy Sullivan enjoyed the clubhouse lead shooting a 67 to move to 10-under par but with a two-and-three-quarter hour’s delay due to fog disrupting the event.
Ramsay had been awake just after 5am in readiness for his 8.30am tee time but the delay meant he didn’t get his round underway to 11.15am local time.
“I played well in parts and I played poorly in other parts but to be honest I holed a lot of putts, and putted beautifully out there,” he said.
“I got off to a great start and after that double, I bounced back with four straight birdies so you can’t really complain.
“I am finding also I am driving the ball better and hitting more fairways which is a strange thing for me to say.
“So it could have been a real low one but the important thing was that after playing okay and grinding it out, today I played well in parts but still shot six under whereas last season my first round would have been three over and this round been like two under.“So I do feel I am getting a little bit more out of my game.”
The three-time Tour winner run up a double at nine when he found a right hand greenside bunker and then got a flyer with his third that found a bunker on the opposite side of the green.
Ramsay and his wife already know the sex of the baby but then he will sit out travelling to events in South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and India to be present at the birth and then settle into a new house in Edinburgh.
“I’m excited in becoming a father and I am not sure if it will change me as a golfer but one thing is certain, I will have to change as a person,” he said smiling.
“I am going to have to be more focussed on what I am doing and also better focussed but then it’s going to be neat going home to be with the family.
“It’s been something I wanted to do for a while along with Angela, we’ve wanted to have kids.
Richie Ramsay’s favourite book – Make Today Count.
“I’m letting Angela roll with the colour co-ordination of the baby’s room as we know it’s going to be a girl so it will be pink.”
Ramsay’s been reading ‘Make the day count – The secret to your success is determined by your daily agenda’ by John C. Maxwell.
“In reading the book is like hitting the reset button all the time and also looking at things through a slightly different lens,” he said.
“In the past if I hit a bad shot then for the next 10 seconds I was not the person to talk to, and while I’m still not the person to speak to, but then I have started to move on and reading this book helps.
“It’s given that little bit extra when it comes to the mental game and that’s the key to guys winning Majors right into their middle 30s.
“It’s got me focussing on all aspects of my life but not letting anybody else determine what you do, and it’s all about you being happy.
“You can take this motivation books with a pinch of salt but reading this book is just positive that I have found myself writing down quotes and tweeting those quotes.”
