Marc Warren at least owes Matthew Southgate a possible Christmas card after the Scot secured a place at the English golfer’s expense in this week’s DP World Tour Championship.
Warren had been advised by Tour officials to expect a call-up straight after last Sunday’s tail of field finish at the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa that left him lying 63rd on the Race to Dubai rankings.
It was three places outside of qualifying among the top-60 for this week’s $US8m season finale in Dubai.
Fate, however, then began to play into Warren’s hands with the respective No. 61 and No. 62 ranked Paul Waring and Ian Poulter taking the place of the injured duo of Rory McIlroy (11th on the Race to Dubai) and Henrik Stenson (13th).
Marc Warren delighted to be teeing-up in this week’s DP World Tour Championship. (Photo – European Tour/Getty)
It meant Warren was now first reserve and he got his call-up when the 32nd ranked Matthew Southgate advised officials a wrist injury that kept him out of the Nedbank had not healed sufficiently to tee-up in Dubai.
Southgate has enjoyed a superb season finishing T2nd in the Irish Open, T6th in The Open and then T11th in his last event, the Turkish Airlines Open before injuring his wrist ahead of the Nedbank Challenge.
Southgate also attracted enormous coverage earlier last month for all the wrong reasons and bizarrely when a leaf deflected his 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole during the secondary Stateside Web.com Tour final event and as he was attempting to secure his PGA Tour card.
The leaf deflected his putt so much that the ball missed the hole before Soutgate casually walking up and tapped in his ball.
Bizarrely, Southgate was later slapped with a two-shot penalty for not replacing his ball and then a further two shots for signing for an incorrect score that meant missing out on his PGA Tour card.
Warren now gets the chance to not only improve his 63rd Race to Dubai standing but secure a long overdue fourth Tour title since his last taste of success in 2014.
And the Scot is sure to attract plenty of spectator interest in being grouped with Hazeltine Ryder Cup star, Patrick Reed.
It will be Warren’s fifth appearance in the event and a first since 2015 and with his best showing being T21st in 2014 and in a year he recorded his lowest Earth Course score of a day three 65.
Warren is now the third Scot in the field along with Scott Jamieson and David Drysdale and with Jamieson finding himself being congratulated at every turn of the Jumeriah Estates Earth course following Sunday’s brilliant second place Sun City finish.
Drysdale tees-up 54th on the Race to Dubai and just six places shy of matching his best season of 48th on the 2009 money list.
And the 23rd ranked Jamieson looks assured of his best season on Tour after a prior high of 31st in 2013.
A top-30 finish will also ensure Jamieson a tee time in next year’s Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Scottish tee times (UK time);-
David Drysdale – 4.20am
Marc Warren – 6.15am
Scott Jamieson – 6.50am
