Jack Senior believes his dramatic victory at the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts will give him the confidence to win more events and earn qualification for The European Tour.
The 26 year old Englishman prevailed in a four-hole, sudden-death play-off against Robert Coles and Prom Meesawat to take his first Challenge Tour title with a magnificent birdie on the first after three trips down the 18th had failed to separate the trio.
Senior now heads to Germany for the AEGEAN Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort with a €40,000 cheque in his pocket, helping him climb to third in the Road to Oman Rankings, and he is already hopeful this can spur him on to match other winners of the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge.
“This will do so much for my confidence,” he said. “Winning is everything out here and the more you do that the more you are going to succeed.
“I have given myself a massive chance to win my European Tour card. I knew that I liked this course and that could do well here but I didn’t put too much expectation on myself.
Jordan's such a talent, but he's such a nice and down to earth guy - he is a class act
“It would be quite nice to follow in Brooks Koepka’s footsteps as a former winner of this tournament – he’s done alright since he won here!
“I don’t know what it is about Scotland but I seem to do pretty well up here. I won in a three-man play-off at Montrose last year. I don’t know what it is – maybe it’s the Irn Bru!”
Before flying to Germany, Senior will play at Hillside on June 30 for Final Qualifying for The Open Championship at St Andrew’s.
And if he successfully does qualify, Senior is especially looking forward to reacquainting himself with double Major champion Jordan Spieth, a former sparring partner from their amateur days.
“I actually beat Jordan in the quarter final of the US Amateur in 2011 – just ten days before the Walker Cup,” he said.
“My brother caddied for me that week and we both said after we had played him that he will be World Number One within seven years. He was that good.
“He is just such a talent. He possesses so much talent and then just doesn’t fear anything. I beat him down the last at the US Amateur then he got me in the Walker Cup so we are currently 1-1!
“But he is just such a nice and down to earth guy. I know for a fact if I qualify for The Open and see him there then he will come over and speak to me. That’s the kind of person he is. When we won the Walker Cup he was one of the guys out celebrating with us – he is a class act.”
