Golfer with Scottish roots chasing fairytale win in Mallorca with 13-year-old son on bag

Fuelled by three gin and tonics, a glass of wine, some nice ham and games of Uno with Finley and wife Jessica, the 40-year-old matched the best round of the week in the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A with a seven-under-par 65 at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca.

The splendid effort in the penultimate circuit in the HotelPlanner Tour’s season finale moved Englishman Morrison to 13 under par, giving him a three-shot lead over Scotland’s Euan Walker and South African Daniel van Tonder heading into the final round on Sunday.

Morrison, a two-time DP World Tour winner, lost his seat at the top table 12 months ago and came here this week thinking this could be his last hurrah as a tour professional if he failed to finish in the top 20 in the Road to Mallorca Rankings.

The oldest player in the field, he started the event sitting 36th in the season-long standings, but is now up to eighth on the projected points list and, boy, would it be some story if he can seal his DP World Tour return in style.

“It would be fairytale stuff with how big a week it is in terms of the next step,” admitted Morrison, who is from Surrey but has Scottish roots through a grandad from Hamilton and also picked a very Scottish name for his son, who is revelling in his role inside the ropes this week.

“I’m enjoying being with Fin, who is doing a great job,” reported Morrison of his caddie. “The putt at the last (for his seven birdie of the day), I thought it was left to right, but he said ‘no dad, it’s right to left’ and it was right to left and went straight in the middle of the hole. I am so, so proud to have him beside me and, win, lose or draw tomorrow, it will be a great experience.”

Morrison, who returned to winning ways when landing the BlotPlay9 event in France earlier this year, freely admits he struggled to find himself back on the second-tier circuit after making more than 430 appearances on the top tour and said he had Scot David Law to thank for the exciting position he now finds himself in heading into the last day of the season.

“Hanging around with Davy, who is a really good mate of mine and seeing how he’s gone about his business, has really dragged me along,” said Morrison of the Aberdonian. “He’s been a real inspiration for me this year because he’s come back here with an unbelievable attitude and got the job done. He text me last night and I’ve kind of been dragged along on his coat-tails and hopefully it will all be right in the end.”

After coming up agonisingly short in the card battle three years in a row at this venue, Walker is on course to finally become a DP World Tour player. Helped by a monster birdie putt at the 16th, he signed for a third-round 70 and the Ayrshireman, who started the week feeling the pressure again in 17th spot, is up to 12th in the projected positions.

“Well, that would be an exceptional way to do it as it’s not often you win a tournament,” he said of having a chance to make the step up in style by becoming the first Scot to win this event since Peter Whiteford in 2009. “Unless you are really top class, it only happens so often and, for some people, it never happens. You can have a great career in golf and never win a single tournament. I can’t really focus on winning the tournament tomorrow. But that’s definitely what I am going to try and do.”

Disapponting day for David Law and Daniel Young

It was a disappointing day for both Law and Daniel Young as their hopes of winning were dashed by rounds of 75 and 74 respectively. “I wasn’t very good at all, really,” said Law of his effort, the tone for which was set by finding a hazard on the left of the green after opening with a peach of a tee shot.

Through Austrian Max Steinlechner running up a horror 12 at the eighth, though, Law jumped from third to second in the projected standings.”Yeah, it is what it is,” said the 34-year-old, who, along with Young, came into the week with his card secured. “I am not really concerned about the order of merit. It’s more about how I play.”

For the third day running, Young came a cropper at the par-5 seventh, having gone 7-6-7 there so far. “I’ve barely hit three shots left all week - and they are all on the same hole,” he said, sighing. “Yeah, I get one more crack at it tomorrow and, if I hit it there again, I’d be as well walking in.”

The Perth man sits tenth, down two spots from the start of the event, on the card list, but is hoping that a welcome closing birdie can set up one big final push. “I said to James [Blyth, his caddie) that I actually felt I didn’t do much different to the first two days. I actually felt I played quite well. Yeah, I felt it just wasn’t quite going my way. It was almost one of those days when I was making one step forward then two back.

“It’s golf I suppose, it’s the only way to put it. I hit three lovely shots at the last and it was nice to sneak one there. Hopefully, I can sneak a low one tomorrow and see what happens.”

Calum Fyfe, the fourth Scot in the 45-man field, covered his last 12 holes in five under to sign for a 69 to sit just outside the top 20 on three under. He’s 27th in the points battle, having started above Morrison but now sitting below him.

“I’ll do the same thing tonight and have three gin and tonics and a glass of wine with a bit of ham,” said the leader of how he planned to prepare for the closing circuit. “Play some Uno with the family and come to the course tomorrow and see what happens.”