Magnus P Atlevi wants to carry the momentum built from The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex to next month’s Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open as the Swede sets his sights on a first European Senior Tour title.
Atlevi, who earned his card for the 2016 season at Qualifying School in February, has made a solid start to life on the over-50s circuit with three top ten finishes, including top three finishes at both the WINSTONgolf Senior Open and last week’s Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie.
A winner of three Challenge Tour events during the 1990s, Atlevi believes he can now convert his steady form into a first win of the season at Archerfield from August 19-21.
“During the final round, it seemed possible to win,” he said. “I had a poor finish to the third round and fell off the leaderboard.
“I said to my wife, I’ll get back up there, then I had a three putt on the first hole. But I turned it around beautifully and made lots of birdies. I got back on the leaderboard, so that really motivates me.
“I hadn’t played a Major for eight or nine years. I’m a rookie compared to all these guys. At the same time, it frightens me, because I’m not used to it. But, for every tournament I play now, I’m getting used to it and hopefully I can cope with it better.
“It was a good week overall. The Senior Open was worth a lot to us in the rankings. It made it so much more important for us to do well, and that put on some extra pressure. But that’s the way it is.”
When Atlevi tees it up at Archerfield, he will be making just his sixth start on the Senior Tour. Although in his rookie year, the Swede has made a splash on the Order of Merit Rankings as he currently sits in fourth place behind Senior Open champion Paul Broadhurst, Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer.
“I feel like I’m gaining confidence in every tournament I play this year,” he said. “I finished third at the previous tournament in Germany, one shot behind, and I led with Peter Fowler on the last day.
“The most important thing was to play good shots and not try and aim too high – suddenly you start hitting good shots without even trying, because you’re in such good form. You almost try to take a step back instead of trying too hard.
“It’s a mental thing again. It was great to play that way, at that level, at Carnoustie, because I hadn’t been on a stage like that in a very long time.”
