Liam Johnston, who shot a superb 61 to lead the Portugal Masters after the first round, at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf course. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SCOTLAND’S Liam Johnston produced the lowest round of his European Tour career at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf course.

The 26-year-old from Dumfries fired a sparkling round of 61 to lead by one shot at the end of the opening day of the 2020 Portugal Masters.

At nine-under par through 16 holes, the Scot was in contention to match the historic 59 Oliver Fisher shot on the same Algarve course two years ago.

He narrowly cleared the water with his approach into the par-five 17th, but could not hole his eagle putt from range.

A par on the last took the two-time European Challenge Tour winner to 10-under, one shot ahead of Frenchman Julien Guerrier.

Johnston, who won the Kazakhstan Open two years ago to earn his European Tour card, said: “With the rough out there, it’s nice to keep the bogeys off the card.

“I saved well when I needed to and holed a lot of putts out there. Delighted with the 10 birdies.

“I told my coach back home I was swinging it as good as I ever have, and my game feels like it’s trending in the right direction.

“More importantly, I’m in a really good place mentally. I didn’t see a round like this coming. But I felt like I was playing well,” said Liam, who won the African and Scottish Amateur strokeplay titles in 2017.

Johnston: I didn’t know course par

INEVITABLY, much of post-round talk was how aware was he that he had a real chance to equal Oliver Fisher’s record-breaking 59 at the Victoria Course in 2018.

Johnston said: “I had no idea. I was just talking to Kristoffer Broberg and just noticed it was a par 71.

He added: “I thought it was a par 72. Obviously, I was trying to hole that putt on 17 to make eagle, and just left it a little bit short. Nice par on the last.”

Johnston has been friends since childhood with Grant Forrest and Connor Syme. The latter had a very successful UK Swing, finishing third in the Celtic Classic at Celtic Manor.

Liam freely admits their successes – and that of Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Bob MacIntyre – are spurring each other on as they seek to match last year’s European Tour win Down Under by David Law, who is slightly older.

“We’ve all known each other for ages and feed off the success each other has,” said Johnston in 2018.

Frenchman Guerrier has struggled to match his victory in The Amateur Championship in 2006, when he beat Surrey’s Adam Gee, at Royal St George’s.

Guerrier said: “I really enjoyed how I played the course. The conditions were great. The weather was perfect. I played great. I hit a lot of fairways and I think that is the key here.

“As soon as I hit my ball into the rough it was a different hole. You fight for the par and when you put your ball on the fairway it’s like a birdie chance.

“You try to make it the best you can,” said the 36-year-old, who shot a 60 during the 2009 European Tour School, where he earned his first card.

Laurie in second place at a Canter

MEANWHILE ex-Somerset county player Laurie Canter was at seven-under after a round of 64, with all of the leading three players going bogey-free in Vilamoura.

The 2010 South African Amateur and South African Strokeplay winner said: “I don’t think I’ve done that for a while to be fair, bogey-free, I’ve had my fair share of bogeys so it’s nice to keep them off the card for a day.

“There’s a couple of new things I’ve been working,” the 30-year-old revealed.

“Nothing radical really. Just some good, smart advice from some good coaches and my other half, Anna, is now my manager. So I’ve got to put it down to her really.”

Canter won six times in 2010, including victory in the Hampshire Hog, breaking Justin Rose’s scoring record at North Hants GC.

But the Bath-based golfer is still looking for his maiden European Tour win having turned pro in 2011.

Rory’s ex-Walker Cup partner’s good start

NORTHERN Ireland’s Jonathan Caldwell, who partnered Rory McIlroy at the Walker Cup, in 2007, is another Great Britain and Ireland player at six-under.

The 36-year-old from Bangor, who has two wins on the PGA EuroPro Tour, was one shot ahead of South African George Coetzee – one of the pre-tournament favourites.

The pair were joined on that number by Cheshire’s Walker Cup player Matthew Jordan, Denmark’s Ryder Cup player Thorbjørn Olesen and Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg, whose maiden win came a year ago at Crans, in Switzerland.

A group of 12 players are then at four-under, with World No, 16 Tommy Fleetwood, and the highest-placed Portuguese player – Tomás Bessa – among a further eight players at three-under.

Fleetwood happy with driving as US Open draws near

FLEETWOOD playing in the event for the first time in four years was pleased as he started his preparations for next week’s US Open in earnest.

“Overall I was happy,” said the five-time European Tour winner. “I had a dodgy spell through three, four, five, six and then started hitting it well and had chances.

“The course is a different test to what it’s always been. I drove it great – ignore the one on the last.

“I drove it really well and gave myself a lot of chances. It’s nice to be playing this course again.

“I felt like I was working hard, like every shot. But the more I felt myself strike the golf ball, look up and seeing it doing what I would like it to do, the more confidence you build.

“And that’s exactly why I’m playing this week. You’ve got to play golf really, in tournament conditions.

“And it’s always nice to see some work pay off in a tournament.”

Meanwhile, India’s Shubhankar Sharma recorded the first albatross on the 2020 Race to Dubai, holing out from 241 yards with his second shot on the 588-yard par-five 17th hole.

•Follow live scoring in the second round of the Portugal Masters by clicking here.

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Sam Horsfield’s record reads win, Missed Cut, win after he claimed the Celtic Classic at Celtic Manor – beating Thomas Detry by two shots. Pictures by GETTY IMAGES

SAM Horsfield made European Tour history claiming his second win at the Celtic Classic.

The Tour’s Manchester-born star who grew up in Florida became the first player to win, miss a cut, and then win again in the space of three weeks at three different tournaments.

A delighted Horsfield said: “It was pretty crazy. My goal this weekend was to have no bogeys and I was able to do that.

“I made a huge putt on 17 to keep that alive. I just played solid all week, really. To have a nice cushion coming into the last was nice.

“I never really felt nervous or felt uncomfortable, maybe because I was in this situation a few weeks ago.

“On 15, we decided to lay-up and I could have gone for that green. It’s the perfect three-wood number but there is so much trouble around that green.

“The birdie on 14 was huge because it gave me that option. If you’re one ahead, I think you go for that.

“But making that putt on 14 and then giving myself a pretty easy decision on the tee.

“Then I just sort of brought it home,” added Horsefield, who was certainly more composed speaking after his win then he had been two weeks earlier when winning the Hero Open at the Forest of Arden.

Horsfield had fired a superb 64 in Friday’s second round to close the gap on the leaders before Syme’s spectacular 63 on Saturday gave him the overnight lead.

Sam Horsfield was a shot behind Scot Connor Syme going into Sunday’s final round

Lightning delay can derail Sam

THE 23-year-old started the day one stroke behind young Scot Connor Syme.

But they were level after the 2017 Walker Cup player dropped a shot at the first at Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten Course.

Horsfield – tipped for the top by Ian Poulter some seven years ago – made consecutive birdies on the third and fourth.

Sam then birdied the seventh. But the players then had a two-hour delay as lightning closed in at the home of the 2010 Ryder Cup.

After the restart Horsfield parred the next six holes before his fourth birdie of the day on 14^th.

And he parred his way home to sign for a bogey-free 67 and an 18-under par total.

Horsfield moves to the top of the UK Swing Order of Merit, securing a place at next month’s US Open.

He will be joined by the other top 10 players on the UK Swing Rankings at Winged Foot at the conclusion of next week’s ISPS Handa Wales Open.

Horsfield is also guaranteed a share of £250,000 as part of the European Tour’s Good for Golf initiative.

The top 10 on the rankings after the ISPS Handa UK Championship at The Belfry in two weeks’, will share the money to donate to charities of their choice.

Connor Syme was happy with third place despite having a chance to win his maiden title

Syme settles for spoils as good run continues

JUST as at the Hero Open, Belgium’s Thomas Detry finished runner-up to Horsfield – having also posted a four-under par, bogey-free round.

Sharing third place were 2016 Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters, Middlesex’s Andrew “Beef” Johnston and Syme.

It was Pieters first start since the resumption of the 2020 Race to Dubai.

Syme, who played in the Walker Cup against the likes of Cameron Champ, Scottie Scheffler and USPGA Champion Collin Morikawa, said: “It was another good result.

“I’ll have a couple of days away and play next week. My goal is to get in that top 10 for the US Open.

“It’s given me a step towards that. It’ll hurt for a couple of days, but it’s a good week.

“If someone offers you third at the start of the week, no matter the circumstances, you’ll take it.

“I’ll build on that and hopefully have a good week next week on the same course,” said the 2016 Australian Amateur Champion.

Syme’s sole win in the pro ranks came in last year’s Turkish Airlines Challenge on the Challenge Tour.

The 25-year-old from Kircaldy finished 14th on the Road to Mallorca Order of Merit to earn his full card.

Pieters who recently became a father, said: “It’s always a bit testing with your caddie, getting the numbers right.

“We did an okay job this week. It’s nice to start after five months off with a top 10. We had a bit of a slip up yesterday but still, happy overall.

“My caddie said if I go two-under through the last four then he’ll buy me dinner tonight. So I get free dinner.

“At the beginning of the day when it was a bit warmer, my grips were still slippery. I had a lot of trouble this week, I don’t know why.

“I’ve never really had that much trouble with it. After the restart helped me because it was colder and I could grip it and I felt a lot more at ease.

“I hit a lot better golf shots,” said Pieters, who has four European Tour wins under his belt, having won the NCAA US college title in 2012.

•For full results in the Celtic Championship, click here.

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Sergio Garcia salutes a birdie on his way to a five-share of the virtual BMW Indoor Invitational at his favourite Valderrama course. He earned $2,000 for Spain’s Red Cross.

HOME favourites Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello, finished in a five-way tie for first place when a virtual Valderrama hosted the latest leg of the BMW Indoor Invitational.

Masters winner Garcia and his compatriot and fellow Ryder Cup star Cabrera-Bello played in the interactive feature group.

They both finished on one-under after shooting 70s in their 18 holes.

Spain’s famous Ryder Cup venue proved a tricky test in the fourth of five events in the new series of virtual tournaments, using the latest simulator technology powered by TrackMan.

They were joined at the summit in Andalucia by Scotland’s Connor Syme.

The Dundee pro celebrated a second win in the series of virtual events – following his victory at Royal Portrush two weeks ago.

Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan and Frenchman Damien Perrier also carded 70s to secure a share of the $10,000 first prize.

The money will go to charities chosen by each of the five winners.

Garcia famously triumphed three times in the flesh at the Sotogrande venue in the Andalucía Masters between 2011 and 2018.

The 2017 Masters winner opened his round with a triple bogey before recovering with three birdies in the next four holes.

He donated his share of the prize fund to Spain’s Red Cross.

Garcia recently donated to the Red Cross alongside fellow Spanish sports stars to help in the fight against the coronavirus.

Garcia donates his $2k to Red Cross

A DELIGHTED Garcia said: “I can’t think of a better cause than the Red Cross to donate to – to try to help as many people as possible in these very difficult times.

“It’s great to be a part of this and have the possibility to help people who need it most in uncertain times.

“I’m glad that I was able to play well enough to be part of the donation.

“I can’t wait to see all those people get better and hopefully get back to normal lives as soon as possible.

“We had a good time Rafa and I playing together. Unfortunately I had a terrible start with a triple on the first.

“But I came back nicely and Rafa eagled 17 to get to one-under. It was fun to do it.

“It was different. But it shows you how difficult Valderrama is even on TrackMan with pretty benign conditions, that one-under par was a tie for the lead.”

Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera-Bello played in the featured group at the BMW Indoor Invitational at a virtual Valderrama. Picture EDAMVALDERRAMA / Instagram

Cabrera-Bello’s rollercoaster round

CABRERO-BELLA had a rollercoaster round that included four birdies and an eagle as well as three bogies and a double.

Rafa said: “It was different of course playing the course on TrackMan, but it did have a lot of similarities – and it did feel pretty real.

“On the green shapes you could see the run-offs and it was playing as real as it could possibly be.

“BMW does a lot of charitable work, not only during these hard times but also every year. They are a very generous company.

“So to be able to participate in this event for charity was really fun. Also to have the opportunity to win alongside friends and share it a little bit was great.”

Syme is celebrating for the second time in three weeks after topping the leaderboard at Royal Portrush.

He said: “It feels great to be a tied winner this week. Guys like Sergio and Rafa were involved. So to compete with them and be tied at the top was cool.

“Valderrama was as tough as it is in real life. On holes like the second – where you try to run it under the tree on the fairway – it is so realistic.

“My wedge game was good and that was the only reason that I managed to get the joint best score.

“It’s great to be a part of it and I can’t thank BMW and TrackMan enough for these opportunities.”

Perrier fizzing with win to follow second

THE 38-player field – which also included former World No. 1 Martin Kaymer and Belgian Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts – competed virtually from their own homes in the 18-hole strokeplay event.

Damien Perrier finished in second place in week one over the Old Course at St Andrews.

And he went one better this time, birdieing the last two holes to recover from a double-bogey on the 16^th and seal a tie for top spot.

He said: “After my second place at St Andrews, I’m very happy to be tied for the win this week alongside great names such as Sergio Garcia, who we all know loves this course.

“I remember the last time I played at Valderrama I was alongside Martin Kaymer.

“We almost didn’t see each other because I spent my whole round enjoying the shadow of the trees. This week I took my revenge and I’m proud of it!”

Virtual Valderrama proved just as tough as the real thing when 38 European Tour players played the BMW Indoor Invitatational. The $10,000 first prize was split five ways for charity

Links-lover Jordan just as at home at Valderrama

MATTHEW Jordan was participating for the second consecutive week and he leapt up the leaderboard after an 18^th place finish last week at Germany’s Munchen Eichenried.

Jordan recorded his first Euorpean Challenge Tour win last summer and earned his European Tour card by finishing ninth on the Race to Mallorca.

The 24-year-old Hoylake ace, who grew up playing links golf, said: “I’m delighted to get the win at Valderrama – it’s one of my favourite courses.

“It’s a bit tight and narrow so any of my friends watching this will be confused as to how I won.

“I would like to say a massive thank-you to BMW, the European Tour and TrackMan for putting this event on.

“Lockdown has been difficult for most of us, so just to have something to look forward to and compete in, has been great.”

The winning fivesome finished one shot ahead of a group of seven players who shot level-par 71s around the virtual Valderrama.

They included French trio Benjamin Hebert, Raphael Jacquelin and Romain Langasque. Kaymer, Italian Nino Bertasio and Cheshire’s Paul Waring were then a shot further back in a tie for 13^th place.

Fans were able to follow using #BMWTrackManInvitational as footage was shown on the European Tour’s social media channels – and at bmw.trackmaninvitational.com

Footage can also be seen on Twitter: @europeantour; Instagram: @europeantour and the European Tour’s YouTube channel.

COVID-19 EPIDEMIC FORCES POSTPONEMENT OF ANDALUCIA MASTERS

The post Plenty of drama at virtual Valderrama as five tie at top in BMW Indoor Invitational appeared first on Golf North.

Wil Besseling became the second Dutchman to win a BMW Indoor Invitational tournament in three weeks after a two-shot win at Golfclub München Eichenried, on Saturday.

WIL Besseling shot a four-under par 69 to secure a two-shot victory in the latest BMW Indoor Invitational at Germany’s München Eichenried golf club.

The Dutchman finished top of a leaderboard featuring 31 European Tour players in the third of five events in the new series of virtual golf tournaments using the latest simulator technology powered by TrackMan.

Following his victory at the Bavarian venue, Besseling joined his countryman Joost Luiten in the virtual winner’s circle after his impressive win at St Andrews two weeks ago.

Besseling, like Luiten, claimed the first prize of $10,000 towards a charity of his choice.

The 35-year-old opted to split the cheque between two charities that will benefit from the donation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Doneereenmondkapje.nl – Donate a Protective Mask – supplies protective masks to frontline workers in the Netherlands, while Bake for Life, a charity close to his heart, creates jobs and sustainable incomes for people in Africa.

Besseling and the rest of the field, including ex-World No. 1 Martin Kaymer and last week’s winner Connor Syme, competed virtually from their own homes in the 18-hole strokeplay event.

Besseling opened his round with a bogey, however picked up two shots on the sixth and seventh before a second bogey of the day came on the eighth hole.

He bounced back to birdied the ninth and the round picked up pace with an eagle on the 11th, plus birdies to follow on 12 and 14.

Despite a third bogey on the 17th hole, it was enough to secure a two-shot win over last week’s winner Syme and Frenchman Alexander Levy, following their 71s.

European Tour’s innovation praised

THE third winner of the series was quick to praise the European Tour for coming up with the virtual golf tournament series.

It has helped occupy players who have been left in limbo during the lockdowns in most European countries – and which have seen more than a dozen regular tournaments cancelled since February.

Besseling said: “It’s a great initiative from the European Tour, BMW and Trackman to get together and organise something totally different compared to what we are used to with normal golf tournaments.

“Virtual golf has been here for a while but not the way in which we have been using it at the moment.

“The last couple of months have been so different to any other period in my career and it has been really exciting to see what it is capable of because it is so realistic. The courses are incredible.

“To have the ability to host tournaments indoors, I was happy to see it as we could not leave our homes, so I entered straight away for all five weeks.

“I finished third and second in the first two weeks of competition, so really cool to get the win now, my first virtual win.

“I had a rough start.” Wil added: “I got it going in the middle of the round and thought I still had a chance, so nice to have that feeling again.

“Even with it being indoors and being by yourself in a room, having a shot of being able to win something was exciting for me.”

Masks crucial for key workers says Wil

BESSELING was also pleased to be able to make a difference to two causes that are close to him for different reasons.

Each of the five tournament winners in the BMW Indoor Invitational receive $10,000 to give to good causes of their choice.

“I am very happy to be helping out two charities by winning this week and hopefully changing people’s lives for the better,” said Besseling.

“Half of my donation will be made to Doneereenmondkapje.nl who are doing great things in the Netherlands.

“They donate the money they make to buy protective masks for hospital staff, healthcare workers, and those people delivering essential services to make sure they are all protected.

“The remaining $5,000 will go to Bake for Life. It is a different charity but also a great one where they open bakeries in Africa, creating jobs for people and selling bread to generate their own income.

“It started close to my hometown and I think it is a great initiative to help people in the world by not only giving them money – but also creating jobs and helping them develop a sustainable living.”

Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin and home favourite Kaymer finished tied fourth at Golfclub München Eichenried with a one-under 72.

Somerset’s Laurie Canter and Frenchman Benjamin Hebert were a further shot back.

Tournament footage was shown on the European Tour’s social media channels with fans following using #BMWTrackManInvitational.

Valderrama and Wentworth to come

FOOTAGE of the BMW Indoor Invitational is available on the European Tour’s social media channels
Twitter: @europeantour
Instagram: @europeantour
YouTube: EuropeanTour and
Online https://bmw.trackmaninvitational.com

•The last two BMW Indoor Invitational events are at Valderrama on May 30, and Wentworth on June 6.

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Dundee’s Connor Syme claimed victory in the second leg of the BMW Indoor Invitational wiht an eight-under par round of 64 using a TrackMan simulator of Royal Portrush, on Saturday.

CONNOR Syme shot an eight-under par round of 64 to secure a two-shot victory to claim the second of the BMW Indoor Invitational played over simulators featuring Royal Portrush’s Dunluce Links.

The Scot finished top of a leaderboard featuring 28 European Tour players in the second of five events in the new series of virtual golf tournaments – powered by TrackMan – using the latest simulator technology.

Following his victory at the Northern Irish venue, which hosted the 148^th Open Championship in 2019, Syme claimed the first prize of €10,000 towards a charity of his choice.

The 24-year-old opted to split the winner’s cheque between two charities – FoodTrain, which supplies meals to the elderly in Dundee,, and Hospice of the Valleys, a charity close to Syme’s heart which provides palliative care.

Syme and the rest of the field – including the winner of last week’s inaugural BMW Indoor Invitational Joost Luiten – competed virtually over the historic links layout from their own homes in the one round, 18-hole strokeplay event.

Flying Scotsman’s fast start

CONNOR SYME got off to a flying start, birdieing the first two holes and picking up two more shots on the sixth and seventh, before his first bogey of the day on the eighth hole.

His round really picked up pace after the turn in an impressive five-hole stretch with an eagle on the 12^th – bookended by two birdies either side.

Despite a second bogey on the 15^th hole, it was enough to secure a two-shot win over Dutchman Will Besseling and Somerset’s Lawrie Canter, following their six-under rounds of 66.

“Seeing the scores from last week I wasn’t really sure how I would fare,” said Syme. “But it was great to get a good score around Royal Portrush.

“I played solid on the front nine and then I just went crazy for a few holes 10 through 14 – that was a cool run to go on.

“It was my first time competing in something like this on TrackMan, so I really had no idea what a good score would be. But I was very happy with the numbers.

“I’ve actually been following a program with Spencer Henderson, the Scotland U18 national coach.

“He’s been keeping us busy on TrackMan, so I probably owe a lot of this win to him. I don’t know how sharp I would have been otherwise.”

Connor Syme read about Stuart Hearn and decided to hand half of his $10,000 prize from the BMW Indoor Invitational to the Food Train charity where the football ref volunteered

Syme moved by Stuart’s story

THE new champion was pleased to be able to make a difference to two causes that are close to him for different reasons.

“Having an opportunity to make a difference with what is going on in the world is great,” said Syme.

“I’m honoured to have won and have the opportunity to hopefully change a few peoples lives.

“Half of my donation will be made to Food Train in memory of Sean Hearn, who I read about this week.

“He was a really valued member of the community in Dundee, a proud charity worker and a community football coach and referee, who gave up his time for others in the town where I live.

“Food Train is the charity he worked with and it distributes food and gives support to elderly people in the city.

“Stories like Sean’s and so many others are reminders of the people who are constantly putting themselves out there, and how many incredible people we have lost during this crisis.

“The remaining $5,000 will go to Hospice of the Valleys. A bit further away from home, but very much close to our hearts.

“My girlfriend’s grandfather unfortunately passed away a couple of days ago after a two-year battle with bowel cancer.

“Hospice of the Valleys have been with him every step of the way and $5,000 would mean a lot to them as it could offer more than a month of service towards someone like my girlfriend’s grandad – an incredible cause.”

Spain’s Adri Arnaus finished in fourth

SPAIN’S Adri Arnaus finished in fourth place at Royal Portrush behind Syme, Besseling and Canter with a four-under par round of 68.

Last week’s winner Luiten – playing in the interactive feature group with Cheshire’s ex-England Amateur Champion Paul Waring – was a shot further back alongside Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan.

Germany’s two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer finished in a tie for 13^th place after an even-par 72.

Fans were able to follow the tournament with footage shown on the European Tour’s social media channels and also streamed on the internet.

Footage can still be seen on Twitter – @europeantour and Instagram – @europeantour was well as on the European Tour’s YouTube channel and at https://bmw.trackmaninvitational.com

BMW Indoor Invitational venues and dates:
Saturday May 9 – Old Course, St Andrews (Winner, Joost Luiten)
Saturday May 16 – Royal Portrush (Winner, Connor Syme)
Saturday May 23 – Golfclub München Eichenried
Saturday May 30 – Real Club Valderrama
Saturday June 6 – Wentworth Club

Each of the five tournament winners in the BMW Indoor Invitational will receive $10,000 towards a good cause of their choice.

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EWEN Ferguson will go in search of his first European Challenge Tour title when the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge gets under way at Vierumäki Resort on Thursday.

The Scot will be looking to go one better than his last outing at the Euram Bank Open in Austria, where he finished runner-up behind compatriot Calum Hill, recording his best professional result to date.

His recent form parallels the achievements of many of his amateur colleagues, with several Scottish players achieving considerable success on both the European Tour and Challenge Tour in recent months.

Not least Robert MacIntyre, who just a year after being pipped to the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge title in a sudden-death play-off against Finland’s Kim Koivu is flying high on the European Tour.

MacIntyre – who lost in the final of The Amateur Championship to Hampshire’s Scott Gregory three years ago – has two runner-up finishes and a top 10 at The Open Championship already under his belt this season.

‘’I talk to Bob (Robert MacIntyre) a lot, and he’s doing exactly what he was doing before on the Challenge Tour,’’ Ferguson said.

‘’It’s not like he’s changed anything dramatically and that gives me confidence that I’m doing the right things and I just need to stay patient.

‘’It’s nice to see him doing so well. It gives me, and a lot of the Scottish guys, a lot of belief when he is competing with the likes of Rory and Rickie.

‘’With Bob doing well, and Connor Syme also qualifying for the Open, it is an incentive to push each other on and last week in Austria I was thinking that I wanted to do well so that I can get a piece of the action.

“We’re all good friends too, so it’s good to be inspiring each other to better things,” Ferguson added.

The Scotsman, who reached the semi-final of the Belgian Knockout on the European Tour in June, currently sits just outside the promotion spots, in 17th position.

Ferguson will be looking to move into one of the coveted top 15 places with a strong performance at Vierumäki Resort this week.

After missing only his second cut on the Challenge Tour a week before Austria, the former Walker Cup player found his form on the Austria hills last week, and heads into the Finnish challenge full of confidence.

‘‘It was good to get myself back in contention in Austria and finish with a good round, which is something I’ve sometimes been struggling to do this season,’’ added Ferguson, who hails from Glasgow.

‘’I’m in a good position in the rankings with lots of events coming up, so I’m hoping that the performance in Austria can put me in a good position for the rest of the season.’’

The first round begins at 7:30am local time while Ferguson will get his opening round under way from the 10th tee at 8:30am local time, with Hill beginning his title challenge on the first hole at 8:40am.

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