Local man aiming to pull off amateur dramatics in Scottish Challenge in Borders

One is a HotelPlanner Tour regular and hails from Ayrshire while the other is an amateur who not only plays his golf at this week’s host venue but works there as well over the winter.

“Yeah, I am looking forward to it,” said that Jack McDonald, one of two amateurs in the professional field in the Borders along with Blairgowrie’s Connor Graham.

“It is nice to get the opportunity to play, especially on my home track and in a field of this calibre. I found out last Thursday, though I had been given the heads up that it was looking promising.”

This assignment means that McDonald, a former Tennant Trophy and Battle Trophy winner on the Scottish amateur circuit, missed out on playing in this week’s Scottish Amateur Championship, which is taking place at Gullane.

“It is hard to turn down an opportunity like this. I had to take this opportunity when it came along,” said the Scottish international of that call. “It is a great opportunity for me, especially around a place I know better than anyone. I was probably around 15 when I first played here and have been a member here since I was 17, so six years now.

“I’ve shot 66 in a tournament here but, unofficially, my best score round here is 63. You can get it going, but it’s a proper test of golf. Now the seventh has been made a par 4, it’s tough and the eighth, ninth and tenth are always three of the tougher holes.

“I’ve not worked so much the last few months due to being busy with my own game, but, yeah, I am still contracted here. I help out in the shop and also did a bit of greenkeeping last winter as well. I’ve floated about wherever they’ve needed me.”

The Scottish Seniors Open was held on the Dave Thomas-designed course after it first opened, but this event is probably the biggest one that has ever been staged in the Borders.

“It is great for the club and great for the area,” observed McDonald. “Obviously we had the Q-School First Stage here for a spell a few years back, but this seems like it is on a bigger scale.

“The course has been ready forever, but now they have the hotel and all the other facilities here, it is perfect for a tournament like this. I’ve never seen it in better condition than this. The boys have put in some serious graft the last few weeks and I am really looking forward to it.”

The local man has been paired with England’s Bradley Bawden and Frenchman Julien Sale for the opening two rounds of Thursday and Friday, with his initial target being to make it through to the weekend.

Peebles man Craig Howie also has a home gig

“It’s been alright,” he said of his form this season. “Some ups and downs, but that’s golf, isn’t it? The highlight so far was probably seventh at the Brabazon Trophy and I also played well in the Tartan Pro Tour event at Cardrona, finishing fifth there. Yeah, pretty happy.”

It’s also a home gig this week for Peebles man Craig Howie, who is hoping to kick-start a frustrating season and should have lots of support when he heads out on Thursday afternoon with Swede Per Langfors and South African Daniel Van Tonder.

The goal for the other Jack McDonald, meanwhile, will be a strong performance over four days as he bids to climb from just outside the top 100 in the Road to Mallorca Rankings into the heat of the battle for 20 DP World Tour cards next season.