Scottish golfer 'pretty happy' with pro debut after being hit with food poisoning

After following an opening 76 on the Blue Course at Royal Dar Es Salam in Rabat with an impressive 70 to comfortably make the cut in the LET’s season-opener, the Dumbarton woman signed off with a 75.

McClymont had been closing in on the top 20 after picking up birdies at the second and 11th - both par 5s - before having the wind taken out of her sails a bit by a double-bogey 6 at the 12th.

She then dropped shots at both the 14th and 16th to finish with a two-over total, finishing in a tie for 42nd to pick up a cheque for around £2,150.

“This week was a lot of fun,” McClymont told The Scotsman. “I am pretty happy with the result considering I wasn’t in the tournament at the start of the week and then got food poisoning the day before the first round.

“Bearing in mind that I then didn’t feel 100 per cent for the whole of the week, I’d say that’s a pretty decent week.”

In an event won by England’s Cara Gainer in a play-off with India’s Diksha Dagar after the pair had tied on nine under, McClymont finished ahead of Solheim Cup player Caroline Hedwall, as well as the likes of England’s Meghan MacLaren and Pia Babnik of Slovenia

“Competing at that level was so much fun and has shown me that I can do it, too,” added the Scot. “I’m already looking forward to the next event I play in.”

That will be in South Africa, where McClymont is heading to tee up on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, which starts with next week’s NTT Data Ladies’ Pro-Am at Fancourt.

Elsewhere, Richie Ramsay finished just outside the top 40 in the DP World Tour’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, won by China’s Haotong Li by two shots from Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.

Ramsay, who made the cut in three of the four events on the Middle East Swing, including a top-five finish in Bahrain, is now looking forward to spending some time with his wife Angela and daughter Olivia.

“Playing out here competing is great,” said the four-time tour winner. “But, when I go home and spend time with my daughter it’s the best thing ever. I love that and I’ve always battled the balance between golf and spending time with her, especially when she’s young, because she’s like a sponge and so much fun to be around.

“Next week we’re going on holiday for three days and that’s the time I’ll fill up the family bucket, be silly and splash in the pool and race in the garden. Those things are so good for me, so good for the soul. You can get wrapped up in your golf, but when I have that it’s the best thing ever.”

Meanwhile, Calum Fyfe maintained his promising form at the start of the new Hotel Planner Tour season by recording a top-15 finish in the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor.

In an event that produced a maiden win on the second-tier circuit for Englishman Jamie Rutherford, Fyfe’s tie for 11th was his best effort since securing a share of eighth spot in the D+D Real Czech Challenge last year.

Daniel Young also finished in the top 15 at Royal Cape but a closing 77 - his worst round of the season so far - dropped David Law from just outside the top ten at the start of the day to joint-45th.