By Will Pearson, europeantour.com
at Royal Aberdeen
This might be the first European Tour event to be hosted at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, but the historic venue has staged a number of high profile tournaments in the past – both professional and amateur – including some memorable occasions for Englishmen Tom Lewis and Matthew Nixon.
Both men have migrated successfully into the professional game on The European Tour after superb careers in the none-paid ranks, and both are back in north-east Scotland this week at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open with fond memories of Royal Aberdeen to draw upon.
Lewis was amongst the Great Britain & Ireland team which won the Walker Cup for the first time in eight years on the Balgownie links in 2011, alongside Andy Sullivan and facing off against the likes of Peter Uihlein – both of whom are also in the field in Aberdeen this week.
“It was lovely to end my career as an amateur here at Royal Aberdeen and with the great players I played with – a few of whom are here this week of course,” says Lewis. “It was a great week even though it was in September and so the weather wasn’t quite as good as it is now.
“I played Peter (Uihlein) and I remember he shanked one out of bounds on the 11th so that was quite fun to watch. He did that twice – in the morning and the afternoon – so I might give him a bit of stick about that this week.
“But seriously, it was a great week. There were a lot of guys there that week – myself and Peter included – who were right up there in the amateur game at that point. I’d done well in The Open, Peter was second in the world at the time and Patrick Cantlay was up there too.
“Everyone wanted to get drawn against Peter so that was brilliant. The team came through in the end and to win the Walker Cup and in Scotland, where I love to come, was amazing.”
Lewis is no stranger to success on links courses, as evidenced by his performance at the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St Georges, where he claimed the Silver Medal for top amateur after a magnificent first-round 65.
Having taken on the famous old Royal Aberdeen course in the match play format, this week will present a somewhat different challenge, as Lewis suggests.
“It’s going to be different as stroke play so it’ll certainly be a little more of a conservative approach,” he continues. “The rough is up – it might look okay but it’s slightly thicker than you think – and a lot depends on what the wind does.
“You never know with links golf and that is why it is so fun to play and I think that’s why you have so many strong players here this week.”
Five years prior to the aforementioned Walker Cup clash in Aberdeen, Lewis’ compatriot Nixon triumphed in the 2006 Boys Amateur Championship across the links of Balgownie.
The now 25 year old Mancunian, who was 17 at the time of his victory, beat Challenge Tour winner Andrew Johnston in the last four clash and then Sweden’s Bjorn Akesson in the final but remembers there was a fair bit of good fortune to thank for his success at Royal Aberdeen.
“Fluked it!” laughs Nixon, looking back to the 2006 event. “I remember a lot about it not that I would bore people with the details. It was a bit lucky if you ask me, in as much as I didn’t really feel like I quite deserved it.
“I played Bjorn in the final and he played so much better than me but of course it brings back a lot of really special memories being back here.
“They’ve changed a few greens since I was last here – if I’m not going crazy – but they’re good changes. It’s a lot tighter than it was then as you’d expect being a top professional event this week.
“I can’t really believe it’s eight years ago – I’m seriously feeling old now when you see the really young players out now – but it’s nice to remember familiar sites, the good shots, and that definitely gives you a confidence boost.”
