Erin Hills, Wisconsin ….

Richie Ramsay is feeling very much at home seeing a bit of Murcar Links, the Renaissance course and Crail in this week’s U.S. OCen host course at Erin Hills.

Ramsay is contesting his first U.S. Open as a professional in a decade since winning the 2006 U.S. Amateur and electing to remain amateur so as to be eligible for the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship.

Since then he has only ever contested a U.S. based Major and that 2013 and 2015 PGA Championship.

Ramsay got his first look at Erin Hills on Tuesday jetting in from New York and then wound-up his preparations yesterday (WED).

“It is finally great to be back at a U.S. Open and just nice to be out here at Erin Hills, and nice to be playing in a Major,” he said.

Murcar Links near Aberdeen in Scotland.

“It was 10 years ago I was last in a U.S. Open, so I will probably savour this a lot more just because it has been so long I last played in this Major.

“It also just seems harder every year the things that I can do to improve, so to finally qualify after many years going through qualifying at Walton Heath is a nice little bonus.”

And having honed his game growing up on the Scottish links gems Ramsay sounds really comfortable in his surrounds this week albeit Erin Hills is located in rural Wisconsin and situated some 1,200 miles, and as the crow flies, to the Atlantic Ocean shoreline at Portland, Maine where you to expect to find any resemblance of a links course.

“Erin Hills is laid out on a huge piece of land, just massive”, he said.

The Gil Hanse designed Craighead Links at Crail Golf Society.

“There are elements and the visuals are similar in places to the third hole at Murcar Links while I can see a lot of the Renaissance in the course along with the Craighead Links course at Crail where I once contested the Scottish Stroke-Play and where the rough was really thick that week.

“The greens are quite narrow in some places while the bunkering is good.

“But the biggest problem here at Erin Hills with the rough is that the thickest part is the first two to three yards.

“Also, there are also some blind shots out here where you are hitting over hills, and also hitting into corners so you have to get your line right.

“However, the guys who drive it straight this week will have the best chance of winning.

“In saying that, I like the golf course and it seems to set-up pretty well for me.”

Ramsay has for many years sought to qualify through Walton Heath and somewhat inspirational in finally finding his way to Erin Hills is a photograph in the Surrey clubhouse of Kiwi and good friend Michael Campbell who did the same in 2oo5 and then went on to deny Tiger Woods at Pinehurst.

“There is the photo of Cambo kissing the U.S. Open trophy up on the wall in the clubhouse at Walton Heath and anyone who has been to Walton Heath trying to qualify cannot go into the clubhouse without seeing it”, said Ramsay,

“So, it was great of Cambo sent me a text message after I qualified and wishing me well for this week.”

Ramsay will tee off today (THUS) at 7.25pm UK time.