'It's wild' - Scott Jamieson on bridging 14-year gap to win again on DP World Tour
Glaswegian makes it back-to-back home wins in Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links
Winning in professional golf is way tougher than lots of people imagine. Just ask Scott Jamieson. The big Glaswegian landed a DP World Tour breakthrough at the age of 29 in his 65th start on the circuit. At 42 and 356 events later, he has finally tasted victory again.
Emulating Grant Forrest’s feat 12 months ago, Jamieson landed a home success in the Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire. On a dramatic final day, which included overnight leader Shaun Norris being hit with a two-shot penalty for a rules infringement, the Florida-based player gave the Scottish fans something to shout about.
Signing off with a polished closing 67, which included a burst of four birdies in five holes around the turn, Jamieson finished with an 11-under-par total. He won by two shots from Englishman Matthew Jordan to land a first tartan triumph on the circuit since Bob MacIntyre’s victory, which also came on Scottish soil in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last October.
Jamieson came into this event sitting 136th in the Race to Dubai. He was facing a fight to hang on to a card that he’d held since 2011. Not any more. He’s up to 42nd and now has his sights on making it to the season-ending Dubai World Tour Championship. His seat at the top table is also now secure for the next couple of years.
“Yeah, 14 years…it’s wild,” admitted an emotional Jamieson shortly after holing the winning putt. “It is tough; it is so hard to win. I was so patient all day. I just can’t believe I’ve won.”
The sweet success came just under three years after he left it late to keep his seat at the top table. “That grind is worse than trying to win,” he admitted. “Trying to win is enjoyable. But, obviously in the position I was in this year, I was starting to get to the business end of the season and not have a lot of points up on the board. Yeah, to win and get a couple of years of free goes is nice (smiling).”
Three behind overnight leader Shaun Norris at the start of the day, Jamieson found himself leading by that same margin with eight holes to go. That was partly down to his own sparkling golf, having picked up birdies at the fourth, seventh, eighth, tenth and 11th.
It was also down, though, to Norris picking up a two-shot penalty for breathing Rule 8.1, which covers “actions that improve conditions affecting the stroke”, when he flicked away a replaced divot with his left foot before playing his second shot at the fifth.
As that effectively led to Norris having a back-nine meltdown as a closing 76 left him having to settle for a share of seventh spot, it effectively turned into a straight fight between Jamieson and Jordan over the closing stretch. After Jordan’s birdied at the 12th then Jamieson’s first bogey in 24 holes at the par-3 13th, the Scot’s lead was down to just one shot.
His birdie from nine feet at the 14th was very timely, indeed, for a man trying to bridge a very long gap, as was a par putt he holed from five feet at the 17th. Jordan’s bogey there left Jamieson heading to the 18th tee with a three-shot cushion again and it was job done as he played the par 5 in textbook fashion.
“I was patient all week,” he said. “When you get the weather we had this week, it’s easy to be patient as level par is a good score here. So you are able to grind it out. I felt I was hitting the ball really well in practice on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after doing some good stuff with Jamie Gough, my coach, who has helped me tremendously in the last couple of months. I was feeling good,but that doesn’t always translate into good results, but it did this week.”
He’d have taken a win anywhere, but to get it on home soil was very special, indeed. “I’m sure we will have fun tonight (smiling),” he said of his sister Sam being in the crowd and lots of friends from the Glasgow area as well. “Winning in Scotland is cool - really cool! Shout out to Jeff Winther for winning in Denmark last week.I am good friends with Jeff, so there was a little bit of inspiration there.”
Two other home players, Connor Syme and Euan Walker, also finished in the top ten, boosting their Race to Dubai Rankings in the process as well. Syme signed off with a 67 that contained seven birdies while Walker’s closing effort included five birdies. In the battle to finish in the top 100 on the points list, Walker is up to 103rd while Syme jumps to 165th.
“Much better,” said a happy Syme of his week’s work, having been hampered by a back injury earlier in the season and then being bereft of confidence as he missed the cut in three straight events coming into this week. “Overall, really good signs. Played brilliantly on Friday, so things are heading in the right direction.”
Englishman Richard Mansell set a new course record with a seven-under-par 65, earning a $10,000 bonus from Nexo in the process. "I was (aware), to be honest,” he admitted of that feat, which means he now holds the course record here as well as The Renaissance Club following a 61 in the Genesis Scottish Open in 2024.
Dane Jacob Skov Olesen and Englishman Nathan Kimsey had both matched the previous record in the closing circuit before Mansell came in with an effort that contained an eagle and six birdies. "It was obviously the friendliest conditions today,” he added. “I knew it was six (under) - that actually did surprise me. But I guess we normally play here and it's just terrible conditions. It felt friendlier today and I did think it was on.”
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