Dunhill despair for Richie Ramsay due to ongoing nerve issue

Spare a thought for Richie Ramsay. The Aberdonian has already missed out on classy Crans-sur-Sierre, delightful Doonbeg and wonderful Wentworth over the past few weeks on the DP World Tour. Now some Dunhill delights are being added to the list at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews next week.

The four-time winner has seen his 18th consecutive season on the circuit turn into sheer frustration due to a nerve issue in his neck and, with only a handful of regular events remaining on the schedule, his 2026 campaign could be over.

Ramsay is on the entry list for the Open de España presented by Madrid the week after next week, though his hopes of returning to action then look slim ahead of a catch up with the DP World Tour’s medical team at St Andrews during the Dunhill Links.

Richie Ramsay pictured during the DS Automobiles 83rd Open d'Italia at Circolo Golf Torino, where he finished in the top ten | Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

“I travelled to Denmark and felt a bit of stiffness, though nothing untoward,” said Ramsay, recalling how his season, which had included a top-ten finish in the Open d’Italia at the end of June, had been turned upside down over the past few weeks.”I played nine holes and did a full session on the Tuesday. On Wednesday, it felt a bit stiff, so I got some treatment. When I then hit no more than three shots, I was like ‘wow’. With one of the shots I hit, the pain went up the back of my neck and down my arm then into the front of it and buzzed the arm.

“That’s something I’d never had before. I like to think golfers are quite aware where they are in terms of time and space with their swing and there was a lack of that as well. I’d never had that before either, so I decided to not play that week.

“The tour was really good. I managed to get an MRI and they thought it was C4 or C5 on the left-handside with a nerve. I managed to get an injection within a week in London, which I thought would solve the issue. Unfortunately, that didn’t solve it along with some meds I took.

“Since then, we’ve tried some physio, which hasn’t had the desired effect. The last few weeks, we decided as a collective to leave it. Basically, the power was way down on the left side when we tested a lot of stuff after the injection. There was almost a maximum 40 per cent deficit on my left-hand side. I just couldn’t power anything. I couldn’t pull anything and hold it.

“I can actually hold stuff now and pull it and engage for a bit of time - five or six seconds - whereas that wasn’t the case before. There was one point when I went to The Renaissance Club and tried to hit balls the week of the British Masters. I tried to push it because it didn’t feel too bad but the next day my feeling was terrible.

“We’ve tried a lot of stuff and I feel we have turned the corner a little bit. There’s still a bit of pain. It’s just been so up and down. It would have been easier if it had been something like me breaking a finger. You know the timeline with that whereas a nerve issue you just don’t have. The other day, it felt better yet the next morning you wake up and can’t turn your neck due to it being aggravated when you are sleeping.”

As Bob MacIntyre defends his Dunhill Links title and recent Nexo Championship winner Scott Jamieson tees up on Scottish soil again, Ramsay admits it will be tough to miss out on the $5 million event, having twice finished in the top ten, including a tie for second in 2014.

“Yeah, the Dunhill is quite an emotional tournament for me as it was the first tournament I watched as a kid during the October holidays,” he admitted. “I’d be lifted a bit over the wall on 17 so that I could see.”

As for whether or not he might play again this season, he added: “I’ll see the medical guys at the Dunhill and, if there is not enough progress to allow me to start hitting balls, then it could be me for the season. If I am being honest, Madrid would be the last chance. Flying to India or Korea to test it out is a bit silly. If I was using only my head, I wouldn’t play again this season as that would give me a longer runway to get over this.”

Currently sitting 147th in the Race to Dubai Ranking, which will see the top 100 retain cards on this occasion, Ramsay is looking into a medical exemption for next season. “I’ve explored it, but we’ve not set anything. They gave me some options depending on how my recovery went. Nothing is set in stone, but I would apply for one and see where I stand with it. I feel I have done everything I can do to get it better and it hasn’t turned around.

Dunhill Links regular Richie Ramsay will be missing from next week’s event at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews due to a nerve issue in his neck | Getty Images

“Losing my card is probably not my primary thing. I would love to get my card back because I want to play at Wentworth, in Ireland and the Dunhill at least one more year. But, as has always been the case, the biggest thing for me is that I want to give the best account of myself and be the best version I can be and give everything a real crack. If I don’t play well and don’t keen my card, I am kind of okay with that, not that I want that. I want to feel like I have been given a fair crack at it. And, if that’s the case, it rests with me, so you dictate your destiny, really.”

Time at home has allowed Ramsay to watch his ten-year-old daughter, Olivia, play hockey and enjoy other “day-to-day stuff”, though he joked that wife Angela is keen to see him “back on tour as quick as possible!”