Scottish golfer on recovering from a 'nosedive' as he chases fifth DP World Tour win
Ramsay buoyant about Bahrain bid after ‘massively productive’ return in Dubai
Having recovered from a stress fracture in his rib that led to one of the longest spells he’s had without picking up a club since childhood, Richie Ramsay has set out on his 18th successive season on the DP World Tour targeting a fifth title triumph.
The 42-year-old is among nine Scots teeing up in this week’s Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, having described making the cut in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic last week as “massively productive” due to the fact it was his first competitive outing since October.
“I didn’t touch a club for six-and-a-half weeks or something like that - definitely one of the longest spells I’ve had since I was a kid,” Ramsay told The Scotsman. “If I was honest, I went into a bit of a nosedive as I wasn’t feeling great after I’d got injured and watching the rest of the guys playing was tough.
“I eventually turned that stuff off, though, and focused on other things and that really helped. You can either feel bad about it or use it as good, quality time at home.”
The injury in question cost Ramsay his chance to be involved in the DP World Tour’s two Play-Off events in the Middle East as he came up short on this occasion in the season-long Race to Dubai Rankings battle.
‘After a few holes I was done for’
“It was a little niggly in India,” he said. “I then got to Korea and was trying to hit shots but I couldn’t keep in on the range. They were all going in the trees on the right and I thought to myself ‘this isn’t right’.
“It was sore and the doctor said that he felt I had a small stress fracture. Because Korea is miles away, I tried to play, but it went again after a few holes and I was done for.”
Time at home always has an upside, though. “It was nice to take (daughter) Olivia to hockey,” he reported, smiling, “while I could also go in the pool as that helped my rib. I didn’t hit any balls until the middle of December and the first driver I hit was maybe at the end of the first week in January.
“It made me miss it and I was looking forward to getting back out again. You feel a little bit nervous because, while you’ve put the work in, you’ve not played for a while. It was a massively productive first week and hopefully I can continue it into Bahrain.”
The Edinburgh-based Aberdonian, who landed his most recent victory in the 2022 Cazoo Classic at Hillside, laughed after being asked if he’s still got the same hunger as starting out on tour back in 2009.
‘I was getting p***** off’
“It’s funny as I had a chipping lesson in Dubai with Graham Walker (who also works with Tommy Fleetwood) and I was getting p***** off,” he said. “He’s really good with me as he knows it is directed at myself rather than him.
“But I said to him ‘but Graham, if I wasn’t getting p***** off, I’d be worrying about myself’. I still feel like I have a little bit of unfinished business. I feel like I could get to five wins and five wins would be a lovely number. Last year in Bahrain I wasn’t far away from getting in the play-off, so I feel I can win one more. I genuinely believe that.”
In a field headed by newly-crowned Hero Dubai Desert Classic champion Patrick Reed, Grant Forrest, Calum Hill, Ewen Ferguson, Scott Jamieson, David Law, Daniel Young, Euan Walker and Cameron Adam are the other Scots in action at Royal Golf Club in this week’s $2.75m event.
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