Richie Ramsay believes his Omega European Masters success is now timely for the Scot to head to the U.S. Tour School later this year.
Ramsay had arrived in Switzerland in two minds to try his hand on the lucrative PGA Tour but after the ease of his Alpine success the Scot is now more intent on playing both Tours in 2013.
Richie Ramsay fitted with the winner’s red jacket in winning 2012 Omega European Masters. (Photo – Jenny Matthews/www.golffile.ie)
And with the conditions for qualifying for the PGA Tour set to dramatically change for 2014 the 29-year old Ramsay is looking to grab his chance while he can.
“Europe is my home but after winning this second Tour title playing on the PGA Tour is definitely a step closer,” he said.
“So this win changes things dramatically because, as I said, I’m now a multiple Tour winner. I’ve got a European Tour exemption to the end of 2014, so I’m pretty secure in Europe.
“I’ve already sat down and worked out the pros and the cons if I was to go to the PGA Tour School and get my card.
“But I now have to start seriously more of playing both the PGA Tour and the European Tour.”
Ramsay went into the European Masters outside of the top-100 in the world but victory has seen him move to a career high of 68th on the rankings.
And being inside the top-100 on the World Rankings, Ramsay will be exempt straight into Second Stage of the PGA Tour School.
As well, his marriage later this month to American-born Angela Hudinski will no doubt mean Ramsay will be under pressure to spend more time with his new wife in their Atlanta home.
“Angela has been such a great support to my career but being an American, and with both of us living in Atlanta, I have to think of her,” he said.
And Ramsay revealed also the thoughts he had standing on the final tee of letting slip his second Tour victory.
He had just bogeyed 17 and last thing he needed was to implode like American Jim Furyk at the recent WGC – Bridgestone Invitational.
“You always dream of coming down the last hole of a tournament and leading by four shots but then after dropping a shot at 17 I was starting to wonder,” he said.
“I walked to the 18th tee thinking to myself: ‘Gees, what have you done?’.
“So standing on the last tee I am starting to think about the water right of the green and it’s a sliding lie.
“But then I hit a good drive and stuck an 8-iron into the heart of the green and two-putted for par.
“However until that ball dropped on the last I just kept so focussed.
“So the way I executed the win, by sticking to the plan I had in my head, was just so rewarding.”
Rather than head straight back down the mountains after his win Ramsay remained in Crans to have dinner with fellow Scots George Murray and Scott Jamieson who he had been sharing an apartment with.
And just as delighted was Ramsay’s caddy of nearly four years, Prestwick’s Mark Crane.
“I started working for Richie in April ’09 and we’ve had a lot of good finishes together,” said Crane.
“We had that great win in South Africa and now this superb win here in Switzerland.
“But then the more Richie puts himself in these situations, as he has been doing, the more chance he is going to have of knocking one off.
“The biggest change I have noticed in him is his attitude. He is a lot more patient and does not let the bad shots get to him.
“I think also having Paul Lawrie in the last group with him helped, as he looks up to Paul a lot being a fellow Aberdonian and also a Ryder Cup player.
“So it’s also just great for Scottish golf.”
However while Ramsay heads to this week’s KLM Open flying sky high Colin Montgomerie, and the only Scot to have won in Switzerland, is a late withdrawal from the Dutch event.
Monty slipped well down the board finishing in a share of 64th place while he’s also 68 places shy of moving into the top-60 on the Race to Dubai.
