Andrew's Farmfoods Scottish Challenge Preview (2025)

After one week away the Scottish Championship heralds the return of the HotelPlanner Tour. By a bizarre coincidence, we’re at a course that I’ve walked around. Well, run, actually. At a different stage of life I went to a conference at the hotel this course is attached to, and did a meandering run through the cart paths down to the Teviot river and back. Never dreamed that this would become an HPT course or that I’d be writing previews, but there we are: insight. That’s probably just as well, because there isn’t a whole heap more to go on.

The Tournament

First, don’t be fooled by the HPT website which states that this is a 7,200 yard par-72 with 18 par-4's of 400 yards each. This isn’t computer golf. It is a par-72, and it is 7,111 yards with the regulation pair of 3's and 5's in both 9's. Having walked the course, I’d say that it is flattish, slightly undulating and sloping slightly towards the river, but fundamentally it is in the bottom of a meandering river valley. This is beautiful inland borders Scotland; one of my favourite places on earth but not the Scotland you think of either from the pictures of the highlands or from the golf you’ve seen in Fife or Ayrshire.

Who will it suit? Well, it is long enough to challenge some of the shorter hitters on the tour, and the par fives will doubtless be critical. My memory of it is that there aren’t too many trees around the course (although the area is heavily wooded) and it is fairly exposed. The photos on the websites and looking on google maps leads me to think that bunkers and tight fairways are the primary defense. Greens aren’t huge. My assumption is that this will be a reasonably low-scoring affair with a focus on effective tee-to-green games. Local knowledge and home comforts will, as ever on this tour, be essential and the Scottish contingent is unusually strong this year; David Law in fifth is one of five Scots in the top 32 on the Road to Majorca (reminder: 31 are provisionally set to get cards) and that excludes a number of neo-pros of outstanding reputation like Connor Graham, or gnarled vets on exemptions like Marc Warren.

So whilst it is a strong field, as you’d expect at this time of year, it would be a brave card indeed that exclusively featured visitors to the auld country. Visitors will also have to deal with some typical Scottish summer weather – which doesn’t mean consistently awful just… varied. Expect a bit of rain on Thursday and quite a bit on Sunday. I can’t see any threat of lightning so they’ll play through it, but it is likely to be windy and with tough scoring conditions, so you’ll want to be up with the lead by Saturday night and you’ll want to be comfortable in nasty conditions. Friday and Saturday look lovely – warm and calm.

The Selections

Three Celts make up my squad, beginning most confidently with Scot Calum Fyfe. I can’t believe the price for this talented player who is still fighting to win his DPWT card (he’s 30^th in the R2M) and who has a runner-up finish in the foul weather in Denmark, to say nothing of winning the Tartan Pro Tour last year to make it to the HPT with full membership. That’s mainly played on inland courses in Scotland, and he’s a member at the Glasgow club Cawder GC. It’s a mistake to think all Scots are links specialists and this is an ideal test for the Glaswegian, and a chance to clinch his card with a first win at this level.

Second on my list is another value pick, Gregor Graham. The elder brother to Connor, who remains an amateur but is a shorter price, Gregor never quite made the Walker Cup team but did have a strong amateur career, representing GB&I on a number of occasions, and winning the South African Amateur and the Brabazon Trophy, as well as finishing second in the Copa Sotogrande (and I’m sure you’re sick of me telling you what a good yardstick that is). He enjoyed his best start as a pro (this is his first season) when finishing 15^th at Interwetten two starts ago but can go far better back home. Like Fyfe, he’s an inland golfer, with a base at Blairgowrie, near Perth at the foot of the highlands. His price reflects his recent results but not his talent or his opportunity here.

Finally, I’m bolstering my squad with Mark Power, stepping over the Irish Sea from his (inland) base at Mount Juliet, a remarkably similar course near Kilkenny. Power is another storied amateur, with two Walker Cup appearances and a strong career at Wake Forest in his past. Since turning professional he’s yet to quite hit the heights expected, but let’s be reasonable, he’s only just 25 and this is only his second year as a pro. He’s grabbed a top ten in the UAE but hasn’t been in great form of late, however, a first made cut in some time (38^th in the Blot Play9 event) on his last start is encouraging and I’m very sweet on his chances at the sort of venue he’s been waiting for. If he can return from a month off having found his best form, that’s absolutely good enough to compete at a massive price.

·         Calum Fyfe, 66/1

·         Gregor Graham, 150/1

·         Mark Power, 175/1

All 1pt e/w, ¼ odds 5 places, Bet365.  Other odds may become available.