TROON, Scotland — In theory, sleeping should be a fairly straightforward process. All you have to do, after all, is lie on your back and shut your eyes. It’s so easy, even a corpse can do it.
But trying to nod off the night before you make your Open Championship debut? Well, that’s a different matter altogether.
“I tried to get to bed around 7.30, 8 p.m. last night because I knew it was going to be an early start,” said Scottish amateur Calum Scott.
“I tried to get comfortable in bed and see if I could close my eyes, but it took me a while. I was probably up until midnight, so I didn’t get much sleep.”
A ruffled golfing mind can make a restless pillow. He would’ve slept better last night, mind you. A spirited level-par 71 on a tough, testing day left this particular Scott as the leading Scot. He was even better than Robert MacIntyre.
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It was an admirable effort from the Walker Cup player, who harnessed the conditions and some early nerves to fine effect.
“The first few holes were a little shaky,” conceded Scott, who earned his place in the field through The Open Amateur Series. “It was tough with the crowds out there. It was something I haven’t experienced before.
“I was a little uncomfortable at the start, but once I got the past the nerves, the noise and the other distractions, I settled in and played some really good golf.”
Calum Scott birdies the last at Royal Troon 🐥
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— Nairn Golf Club (@NairnGolfClub) July 18, 2024
A particular highlight was a birdie on the Postage Stamp, par-3 eighth – what Rory McIlroy would’ve given for that – while a birdie putt from 12 feet under the towering gaze of the grandstands on the 18th provided a finishing flourish.
The hearty round of applause for a job well done was fully merited. A post round 40 winks was probably justified too.
“Birdies at the Postage Stamp and the 18th?” he smiled. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
While Scott trotted off for a kip, MacIntyre returned to his own digs in a chipper mood after a dogged 1-over 72.
On a day when one or two big names suffered a few devastating dunts to their ambitions, the newly crowned Genesis Scottish Open champion’s exercise in damage limitation brought an upbeat self-assessment.
“I thought it was almost perfect,” said MacIntyre, who has recorded two top-10 finishes in his previous four Open…
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