'I've not mumped or moaned' - David Law on having DP World Tour return in sights

The Aberdonian took being back on the HotelPlanner Tour on the chin, rolled up his sleeves and faced the challenge of trying to regain a seat back at the top table in European golf head on.

Helped by recent title triumph in the D+D REAL Czech Challenge, Law is on course to achieve that goal at the first attempt, hence why the 2018 winner is heading into this week’s Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A with a spring in his step.

The 34-year-old sits fifth in the Road to Mallorca Rankings and is determined to cement his position in the battle for 20 DP World Tour cards by producing a strong performance on Scottish soil as the £250,000 event is held at Schloss Roxbughe near Kelso for the first time.

“I’ve not mumped and moaned about being back out here,” Law, who spearheads a 21-strong Caledonian contingent teeing up at the Borders venue, told The Scotsman before heading out for a practice round on Tuesday.

“I had a mindset at the start of the season that this was about getting back in contention in tournaments a bit more and trying to shoot low scores again. On the main tour, that opportunity obviously isn’t there that often, whether it is being in contention or shooting low scores.

“I’ve managed to do that on both fronts this year, which has been great. It’s been really good to get in the hunt to win golf tournaments again because that’s something you need to practice. My aim was to be in contention and uncomfortable a bit more.”

Asked what he meant by that, the 2019 ISPS Handa Vic Open winner on the main tour added: “It’s uncomfortable when you are in contention to win a golf tournament. You are putting yourself out there to essentially fail.

“Only one person can win every week and I think it is quite easy to get sucked into a mindset on the main tour whereby 12th or 15th is okay, even 20th is okay. They are better than okay. They are great weeks in tough fields and great tournaments.

“Whereas out here that doesn’t cut it. I don’t want to be out here for any more than this year, so the only way that was going to happen was if I had big weeks, so it’s nice to have been able to do that.”

Law’s title triumph in this event came at Macdonald Spey Valley in Aviemore, a couple of hours from his beloved home city of Aberdeen. “Yeah, it’s probably the fondest win I’ve had,” he admitted. “To do that with all my family there was amazing and at a tournament that was always my favourite one to play in. I’d never played on the main tour at that point. That was always our big tournament, wasn’t it?”

Helped by that win, Law stepped up to the DP World Tour in 2019 along with Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston and Bob MacIntyre. Seven years on, he’s hoping it can be a similar Scottish success story, with in-form Daniel Young also currently in a card-winning position and Euan Walker, Calum Fyfe and Ryan Lumsden there or thereabouts as well.

“The standard is obviously very high and there are a lot of good players out here,” noted Law. “Not only guys who have played on the tour in the past but a lot of guys who are going to play on the tour in the future. It has been quite a good experience, to be honest with you.

“I think there’s a good opportunity for us to have a good few of us (Scottish players) coming off at the end of the season. The last year I played was 2018 and four of us out of the 15 graduated, which was amazing. I don’t think there has ever been that many from Scotland and there is no reason why that can’t happen again as a lot of the guys are playing good golf.”

While finishing as high as he possibly can on the Road to Mallorca points list is his No 1 priority, Law is allowing himself a DP World Tour outing next week. Understandably so given that the Nexo Championship, which is being held at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, will be a proper home gig.

“I said at the start of the year if I had 800 points (on the HotelPlanner Tour) come the Trump event. I’d try and play it. I think I am something like two-and-a-half points shy, so I can let myself off with that,” he said, smiling.

He certainly can and, along with the likes of other winners this season in Renato Paratore, James Morrison and David Horsey, Law has shown the attitude that is required when players drop off the DP World Tour and want to climb back up that ladder again.