Englishman James Heath says he is raring to go ahead of this week’s Tayto Northern Ireland Open Presented by Ulster Bank after reflecting on his performance in The 145th Open Championship.
The former English Amateur champion finished joint second in qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports to secure his spot at Royal Troon.
Despite missing the cut, the 33 year old believes that performing alongside the world’s best golfers on the European Tour has given him the motivation needed ahead of this week’s tournament at Galgorm Castle Golf Club.
“The Open was disappointing because I didn’t perform,” said Heath. “I think the occasion got to me a little bit and I just didn’t play my game.
“It’s a missed cut and I was out of the tournament on the Friday. By the Tuesday I was a bit more philosophical about things, it was a good experience.
“It was such a big occasion; it’s given me the taste of it again. I hadn’t really thought too much about that. But I had a chat with my brother, Michael, and he said to me that this is what I want to be doing – that goes without saying.
“It’s one of those learning curves, but it’s an annoying learning experience. I went in with a cold putter, even though I’ve been putting well for quite a long time.
“It’s given me more of the bug, but winning in Scotland gave me that as well and I’ve been riding that wave.”
Heath is one of 14 different winners on the European Challenge Tour in 2016 after his two-stroke win at the SSE Hydro Challenge at Aviemore, Scotland.
After his win in Scotland, and a third-placed finish at the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge, Heath is ninth in the Road to Oman Rankings, well inside the coveted top 15 spots.
“I’ve only played six events this year,” he said. “So I’m still feeling relatively fresh and like the season has just started – which might be the opposite to a lot of the guys on the Challenge Tour, some of whom might have played seven weeks in a row.
“I’m focusing on quality over quantity. I’ve laid a solid foundation so far and I want to get up there in contention this weekend and play the best I can in each round. Hopefully that puts me in that bubble on Sunday.”
