WHILE the Tartan Tour has not been renowned in recent years as a breeding ground for European Tour players, the golfers who do make the step-up, notably Paul Lawrie and Alastair Forsyth, invariably go on to make their mark.
After winning one of the 32 cards for the Race to Dubai, thanks to an impressive performance at the qualifying school in Spain this week, Chris Doak, the 30-year-old stalwart of the Scottish region, is ambitious to follow Lawrie and Forsyth into the
winner's circle on the European Tour.
Although his immediate priority will be to find his feet and retain his playing privileges for 2010, Doak has set a goal of winning a European Tour event by 2012. If he performs to anything like the standard he's set for himself this season, the Greenock golfer can also take heart from the example of Damien McGrane. The Irishman did not join the Tour until he was 32 in 2003: this year he won the Volvo China Open.
"When the opening comes along, you have to see your chance and take it," said the Scot. "It's always been my dream to play in tournaments with golfers of the calibre of Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood on great courses and now I have that opportunity. Yes, I've had to wait for my chance – but I'm more mature now and have faith in myself."
Gordon Dewar, the Scottish regional secretary of the PGA, reckons Doak possesses both the experience and the composure to relish a career at the highest level. "I thought it was significant that Chris carded his 62 at Tour school in the fourth round when the cut was looming," he said. "That proved nothing daunts him. There's a calmness and a maturity about him which makes me believe he's more than good enough to be on the European Tour."
While Dewar does not expect to see Doak on the Tartan Tour for a while – "We'll miss him, but if he's not playing with us then that means he'll be competing on the main tour " – he described the golfer's performances on the Scottish region during 2008 as outstanding. "It was a stellar season, up there with what Colin Gillies accomplished a few years ago. In fact, after Chris won his tour card, this tops it." No golfer had previously earned more on the domestic circuit than Gillies in 2001 when the Tartan Tour golfer banked £41,950. Doak narrowly surpassed that figure with earnings of £42,045 thanks to five Order of Merit victories. Although he also won the Order of Merit in 2005, it was the first time he also led the money list.
After a notable year on the home front, Doak moved on from successes in the Northern Open, the Scottish Water-aid at Kilmarnock Barassie, the Callaway/Audi 36 holer at Craigielaw, the Wishaw 36 holer and the Volvo/Ayrshire Hospice 36 holer to seal the national honour of becoming the British PGA's No1 golfer.
The Scot elevated his reputation during the Srixon PGA Play-Offs at Hoylake, a two-day competition which featured the three best golfers from each of seven regions around the British Isles. Having taken command in blustery conditions over the Open championship venue with an exceptional score of 66, the Scot consolidated his place at the top of the leaderboard with a second round 67, which clinched victory at 11 under par.
"Chris's 66 in really difficult conditions at the Srixon showed just how much raw, natural talent he's got," Dewar recalled. "One of his best assets is his strength. When the weather conditions are adverse, he's a real force. I think that's why he's won the Northern Open a couple of times."
Like most Scots, Doak was encouraged to take up the game by his father. He first swung a club as a nine-year-old at Whinhill, near Greenock, and made steady progress, winning junior titles and a county championship. Thanks to John Mulgrew, the pro at Mearns Castle golf academy, Doak acquired the skills required to become a PGA club professional and first dipped his toe in the waters of the Tartan Tour nine years ago. By 2005 Doak was performing with sufficient consistency to win the Order of Merit in Scotland and was the youngest player to date to achieve that feat.
Since then he has competed on the Challenge Tour and made a handful of appearances on the main Tour as a reward for the consistency he's shown in the tournaments organised by the Scottish region of the PGA. Already sure of starting places in events as prestigious as the BMW PGA at Wentworth and the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2009 before he joined compatriots Calum Macaulay, Andrew Coltart and David Drysdale among the success stories at Q school, Doak can't wait to begin the next phase of his career.
"I'll have a few days off and then start planning to tee up at a couple of events in South Africa before Christmas," he said. "I've won 30 events on the Tartan Tour and while this will be a higher standard, winning is winning. In the end, you've got to be able to cross that line."
The full article contains 885 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
