Connor Syme will compete in his maiden European Challenge Tour season in 2019 following his breakout campaign on the European Tour and will be aiming to bounce back to the top tier at the first attempt.
The Scot was a stand-out amateur golfer, winning the 2016 Australian Amateur Championship and reached a career-high eighth in the Amateur World Golf Ranking.
He competed in the 2017 Walker Cup, winning one point for Great Britain and Ireland, and subsequently turned professional.
His first outing in the paid ranks was at the Portugal Masters in 2017 where he caught the eye with a tied 12th place finish following four under par rounds.
Later that year, Syme secured a full season the European Tour by earning one of the 25 cards on offer at Qualifying School Final Stage but only made three cuts from his first 12 starts. However, he arrived in style at the Shot Clock Masters in June 2018.
He finished second in Austria, six shots behind runaway leader Mikko Korhonen, securing the runner-up berth courtesy of a monster putt on the final hole.
The second place at Diamond Country Club marked an upturn in form for the 23-year-old as he made it to the weekend on five of the next seven attempts, including an excellent week at his home tournament – the Aberdeeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.
He ended the week in a tie for 32nd place, but that does not tell the full story. Syme displayed a memorable round of golf on day two as he momentarily set the course record at Gullane Golf Club with an eight under par round of 62.
Syme recorded a blemish-free round which included six front nine birdies and a pair on the back nine, before Japan’s Hideto Tanihara went one better later in the day.
Born in Drumoig, Scotland, Syme returned to Qualifying School in 2018 but missed out on European Tour playing privileges by finishing in 57th spot.
Syme showed glimpses of his potential in his maiden European Tour campaign and will have his sights set on an immediate return to the top tier.
The Challenge Tour may have lost its nucleus of Scottish talent in Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston, David Law and Robert MacIntyre, who all earned graduation last year, but Syme will aim to follow in their footsteps in 2019.
