With three top tens from eight European Challenge Tour starts this year, Ewen Ferguson is happy with how his season has panned out but is steadfast in his hunger for success – starting with this week’s Prague Golf Challenge.
The Scot turned professional in 2016 but had to wait until this season’s Turkish Airlines Challenge for his first top ten finish, a tie for fourth place at Gloria Golf Club.
He had a distinguished amateur career, winning the 2013 Boys Amateur Championship, the 2014 Scottish Boys Championship and the 2015 Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year, among other titles, and he was delighted to experience familiar feelings when he moved into contention in Antalya earlier this year.
“I started the year without a full category on Tour – I’m the top guy in Category 15 – but I got more starts than I thought I might,” Ferguson said.
“I took full advantage of the invites that my management company, Bounce, managed to get for me and I’ve had three top tens and that leads on to cancelling out my invites and pushing me up the Road to Ras Al Khaimah. I’m quite happy with the way things have gone so far this year.
“The scoring here on the Challenge Tour is so low and I felt like I was in contention in the events where I’ve finished in the top ten. It’s the first time I’ve felt like that since I’ve been a pro on the Challenge Tour – I might have done on the Alps Tour – but it’s the first time since my amateur days really.
“It was nice to have those feelings again and feel like I can compete with these guys. I remember playing a few events last year and thinking ‘wow, these guys are so good’ but I know I am good enough to compete.
“I do feel like my game is good enough to win, but I just want to keep giving myself chances. It’s just about getting the breaks and holing a few more putts and keeping the momentum going.”
The 21 year old is in a confident frame of mind on the eve of the Prague Golf Challenge at Prague City Golf and he believes wedge play could be the key to success in the Czech capital.
“The course is quite long with big, slopey greens. You’ve just got to hit it long and straight and when I’m playing well, that’s what I usually do. I just need to get the putter going, hole putts and just enjoy it as well.
“I think the key is probably wedge play. My wedge play can be sharp when it’s on. I think you can get away with hitting it wayward if you’re long enough, but if you’re not long enough then you can’t.
“These bunkers on the fifth, you can fly them if you’re long enough and then you’ve got a wedge onto the green. If you’re not long enough, you’re going to need to thread it.
“I’m going to go with wedge play and iron play being the key. If you’re good with that, you’ll have a good chance.”
Joining Ferguson in Prague are countrymen Liam Johnston and David Law, who have both experienced success on the Challenge Tour already this season, Road to Ras Al Khaimah leader Joachim B. Hansen and KPMG Trophy winner Pedro Figueiredo.
The competitive action begins at 7.30am local time on Thursday July 5.
