Scotland’s Liam Johnston is set to tee it up at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club for the first in his career as the European Challenge Tour returns to his home country for the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts.
The 25 year old became the first Scot to win on Europe’s top developmental tour in two years after beating compatriot Grant Forrest 1up in the final of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Match Play 9, a result which has helped push him into 15thplace on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah.
After admitting he has already surpassed his expectations for his debut Challenge Tour season, the man from Dumfries is feeling relaxed after making the 200-mile trip up to Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands for the first time.
"My older brother is coming up on Friday night so I better make it to the weekend,” he said.
"It's been a good start to the season, to say the least. I have already achieved my initial goals for the season as far as the Challenge Tour is concerned, so the pressure is off in that respect.
"But I've set new goals and I want to keep striving towards achieving them.
"One of my goals was to get a top ten on the Challenge Tour and another was to have a Challenge Tour card for the following year, so I have achieved that one as well.
"I am still trying to put a little bit of pressure on myself, though, to achieve new goals.
“By the end of the year, I want to stay in the top 15 to get my European Tour card. That's the main one.”
Johnston, who turned professional last year after graduating from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, impressed during his first Challenge Tour appearance where he shot the joint-low round of the week to finish inside the top 20 in the Turkish Airlines Challenge.
Since triumphing in Spain, Johnston believes his game has been steady and following a return to the top end of the leaderboard in Saint Omer last week the Challenge Tour rookie is fully confident of making an impact on his first Aviemore outing – especially after receiving advice from Major champion Paul Lawrie.
"I felt my game was close in France last week and I am feeling good coming into this week,” he said.
"I've never played here before this week. I played 13 holes yesterday with David Law and Craig Lawrie and Paul walked round with us. It was nice to have him there and be able to feed off a Major champion.”
Five years ago Brooks Koepka secured European Tour graduation with his third Challenge Tour title of the season – and has gone on to the very top of the world game.
Knowing that he will compete in the same event as a two-time U.S. Open winner is inspiring, Johnston admits, and after ‘looking up his Challenge Tour results last night’ the Scottish rookie hopes that he will join the American at the summit of world golf one day.
"I actually checked up his 2013 Challenge Tour results last night,” he said. “It is cool to see former Challenge Tour winners like Brooks and also Tommy Fleetwood have moved on to bigger and better things.
"Hopefully I can try and follow in his footsteps by also winning here this week."
