GIVEN the extent of the impact already made on professional golf around the world this season by teenagers of the calibre of Rory McIlroy, Danny Lee and Ryo Ishikawa, it's little wonder Callum Macaulay, the rookie Scot who tees up at the Madeira Islands Open on Thursday, feels inspired by the example of young men he knows from the amateur ranks.
Even if emulating the feats of McIlroy, who has already bolted into the world's top 20, and Lee, who won the Johnnie Walker Classic last month, may be an unfeasibly tall order, the Scot agrees there's no longer any reason why newcomers to the big tim
e can't dream of challenging the established players.
"What Rory has done is just remarkable," said Macaulay, "and there are a lot of other really good young players around who have made a good start to the season like Danny Willett. (The 21-year-old Englishman was fourth in Joburg and eighth at Abu Dhabi.] When you see people you've played with during your amateur career doing well, it gives you a little bit of encouragement because you know you're capable of playing as good as them.
"Your attitude has to be, if they can do it, why not me? Maybe in the past young golfers had to serve an apprenticeship before they could win on Tour. But now you're straight in at the deep end. And, as is the case in any walk of life, that can often be the best way to learn."
Macaulay, 25, was part of the three-man Scottish team, along with Wallace Booth and Gavin Dear, who won the Eisenhower Trophy last season. As well as being involved with that famous victory at the World Team Championship, his last season in the unpaid ranks also brought individual success in the Scottish Amateur Championship at Carnoustie when he defeated Steven McEwan 5 and 3 in the final.
Securing one of the precious qualifying spots at Tour School ushered the Tulliallan golfer towards a new life as a professional on the European Tour. He played 72 holes at both the Alfred Dunhill and the South African Open. After missing the cut at the Joburg Open in early January, however, the young Scot hasn't been able to get any starts. Understandably, he's eager to return to competition in Madeira on Thursday.
Macaulay felt the events in South Africa over the winter enabled him to find his feet as a professional. Although poor weather in Scotland hampered his practice sessions, he travelled to Sea Island in Georgia, United States, as well as Spain in search of warmer conditions which would allow him to bring his game back up to speed.
"There's still a bit of rust there," he admitted, "but I'm itching to get started again. My No1 goal for the season has to be to keep my card. I know there are re-ranks coming up, but I'm trying not to think about that. All I want to do is get back to playing the way I did at the end of last year and things will take care of themselves.
"I've been working with Ian Rae (his coach] over the winter, but there's not been any drastic changes. I've just been trying to improve my wedge play. If you look at the guys who are winning the money, their wedge play is frighteningly good.
"Obviously, in Scotland, it's been difficult hitting balls off mats because you don't get the same feel as you do off grass. But I've been working on my short game at the Kingsfield golf centre near Linlithgow and their short game practice area is brilliant, one of the best I've ever seen. It's all grass and is just 15 minutes from my house."
As far as seeking guidance from successful Scottish champions such as Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie, Macaulay has received various messages of support and encouragement. The last time he spoke to Lawrie, mark you, the men spent more time discussing tomorrow's Homecoming Scottish Cup replay between Aberdeen and Dunfermline at Pittodrie than golfing matters.
"I've also spoken to Alastair Forsyth a couple of times and seen Stephen Gallacher at Kingsfield," he added. "But I've not really picked their brains yet. Already, I feel as if I've learned a lot. The way you're treated as a professional is very different from the amateur scene. There are courtesy cars and it feels as if you don't have to do anything for yourself. I was a little taken aback by that."
Perhaps the best piece of advice Macaulay has received so far came from Monty. He stressed the importance of not changing what worked for the fledgling pro as an amateur just because he's playing the game for a living. "Colin told me, 'Don't change anything' and I'm not," he added.
