Scots can still have six appeal in home Open plus fore furore and Sergio snub - Martin Dempster on golf

Just six players will be flying the Saltire on this occasion at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, with defending champion Bob MacIntyre being joined by Connor Syme, Calum Hill, Ewen Ferguson, Grant Forrest and Richie Ramsay.

Compare that with a total of 11 in the last edition to be just on the DP World Tour schedule in 2021, as well as 13 Germans being in the field for last week’s BMW International Open in Munich, and it’s perhaps easy to see why the odd eyebrow may be raised among fans heading to Scotland’s Golf Coast to cheer on the home players.

Held during Aberdeen Asset Management’s spell as the title sponsor, a qualifier for Scottish players is no longer held, something that could tick a box in terms of giving unheralded Scots an opportunity to enjoy a dream week rubbing shoulders with some of the game’s top players.

At the same time, though, it surely has to be recognised that the Genesis Scottish Open is now a Rolex Series event that carries a $9 million prize fund and, therefore, spots in the field can’t be handed out just to appease people.

“There is a solution to all these problems and the solution for me is to play better,” declared Ramsay of the sweat he faced over the weekend before securing a spot thanks to Dan Brown winning the BMW International Open to get Grant Forrest into the field after being first reserve and, in turn, freeing up an invitation for Ramsay.

Yes, Scottish golf fans love seeing home players do well on Scottish soil and last year’s memorable win for MacIntyre will forever be remembered by those who were there to witness it.

Only Scott Jamieson of the current Scots to hold full DP World Tour cards is missing out this week, though, and he’s got a chance to secure a PGA Tour card through another co-sanctioned event taking place in Kentucky.

So let’s try and look at this one with a wider perspective because what a feather it is for Scotland’s cap for our home Open to boast one of the strongest fields in golf, with the top five in the world and all four current major champions in the line up on this occasion.

‘Fore’ furore as players get heated in Munich

By all accounts, things got a bit heated during the BMW International Open after a fan was hit by a wayward shot in Munich.

The shot in question was struck by German Max Kieffer in the opening round at Golfclub München Eichenried and one of his playing partners, Englishman Dan Bradbury, was extremely unhappy about the timing of ‘fore’ being shouted.

From what I was told, the ball struck the fan on the chest and Bradbury raised his concern at the end of the round about someone being in danger of being seriously injured in such a circumstance.

As Bob MacIntyre did after American Kyle Stanley, one of the Scot’s playing partners in the opening two rounds of the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, didn’t shout ‘fore’ when hitting the mother of Greg Milne, MacIntyre’s caddie at the time, with a ball.

The Kieffer incident was a talking point among some of the players in a hotel lobby in Munich later in the day and had also been looked into by the tournament director.

He spoke to everybody in the group after the round and estimated that ‘fore’ had been shouted in a timely manner and, therefore, no further action was taken.

It was a reminder, though, that players have a responsibility to shout, with the DP World Tour delivering “regular reminders” about that being the case.

Why are you back here? Player poses Sergio Garcia question

Martin Kaymer may have been given a warm welcome when the LIV Golf man played on home soil in the BMW International Open, but it didn’t seem as though that was necessarily the case with Sergio Garcia.

It was during the same event at the same venue that the Spaniard, who also now plays his golf on the LIV Golf League, let rip at the DP World Tour in 2022, with Bob MacIntyre having been among those to hear that outburst in the locker room.

Though not mentioning him by name, there was no doubt who one player in last week’s field was referring to when asked if he felt the LIV players had added value to the event.

“I think they do,” he told me. “People like Martin I would say because of the way he went about it. I think he really adds value. But I would say that some people have not gone about it in the right way and, bearing in mind some of the things they said, why are you back here?

“I remember certain players I used to look up to hugely - but not any more. Sometimes they say don’t meet your idols and, in some respects, it is very true!”