Callum Macaulay will be hoping for a repeat of his final round at the Madeira Islands Open – BPI Portugal last year when he returns to Porto Santo Golfe.
The Scotsman had a blistering back nine on the final day, recording eight birdies and one par for an inward score of 28, which contributed to a course record-equalling 64 and propelled him up the leaderboard to second place, a shot behind champion Tano Goya.
Having won his European Tour card at the 2008 Qualifying School – Final Stage, Macaulay went on to finish 134th in The Race to Dubai in his rookie season, so this year will be mainly focusing on Challenge Tour events in a bid to return to the top tier.
With so many higher-ranked players missing from the Madeira Islands Open, however, this could be his chance to go one better than he did 12 months ago.
“As great as the experience of playing on The European Tour was last year, I still feel I’m learning my trade – and the Challenge Tour is a great place to do that,” he said. “I learnt a lot last year, but I’ve still got a lot to learn.
“I played a few events on the main Tour at the start of the season, but I’ll be concentrating mainly on the Challenge Tour for the rest of the season.”
Macaulay’s best finish so far in the 2010 campaign is tied 35th at the South African Open Championship, and he feels he has already learnt from his experiences last season. The 26 year old has long been tipped for great things, having enjoyed a stellar amateur career during which he won the Scottish Amateur title, holed the winning putt for Great Britain and Ireland against Europe in the St Andrews Trophy and guided Scotland to a maiden victory in the Eisenhower Trophy (the World Amateur Team Championship).
“Towards the end of last season when I was trying desperately to keep my card, I changed my mindset,” he said. “Instead of trying to win tournaments I was concentrating mainly on just making the cut, and that probably cost me.
“I’m now thinking about winning tournaments again, and hopefully I can carry that through the rest of the season. If and when I get back onto the main Tour, I should be a better player – and a wiser one.”
