An eagle two on the famous tenth and a top ten place going into the final day – it could hardly have been a better Saturday for Connor Syme at the Belfry.
Syme built on his Friday 68 with another in the warm sunshine in front of bumper crowd at the Betfred British Masters. To make two at the hole immortalised by Seve Ballesteros was “pretty cool”.
‘I really fancied the putt’
The 10th hole at @TheBelfryHotel 😍#BetfredBritishMasters pic.twitter.com/wF9Io4cgV2
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 6, 2022
“I just mullered a 3-wood that was all over it and really fancied the putt, to be fair,” he said. “ It was just one of those little moments where you think, how cool would it be to make a two on this hole’.
“It was a big swinging left-to-righter from 30-odd feet, right in the middle.
“You get there when the tee is up and you go, ‘it’s a 3-wood and maybe even a 7-wood’. They’ve got it set up perfectly in terms of making you have a go at it.
“The wind was straight across and it was probably a little harder today as you need to move it into it slightly, but it was a nice shot into the green.”
There was only one real error to get out of the way on the first and although he was slightly disappointed to miss chances on 17 and 18, six-under won’t be too far away.
“I did bogey nine, but that’s going to happen out here even if you are just a few yards off the fairway and in a little trouble in the rough,” he pointed out.
‘You are there for your mate’
Steyn City Championship this week on the @DPWorldTour schedule. Let’s Go Boys @schaperjayden @MHelligkilde @EwboF @connor_syme 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/NQ1aYlx8sM
— Modest Golf (@modestgolf) March 15, 2022
Syme saw his good friend Ewen Ferguson got through the motions of missing out in Kenya before winning in Qatar, and was at greenside at the end to greet him both times.
“In Kenya, I kind of knew how he’d be feeling, to be honest.,” he said. “I’d had dinner with him every night and we were always chatting about different things.
“I had been in that position myself before. You are there for your mate, that’s what we’d all do, and it was great to see him win two weeks later.”
With Bob MacIntyre, Grant Forrest, Calum Hill and Ewen having all won, the question turns to when it will be Syme’s turn. But he needs to use that motivation the right way, he says.
“The boys are all doing so well and it is really inspiring,” he said. “At the same time it’s not a case of trying too hard.
“I’m doing the best I can every single week. Yeah, I’ll use it as motivation, but I’m still in my own wee lane trying to do my thing.
“It’s such a feel-good factor with everyone and I am sure I will get a chance at some point.”
‘It’s such a stupid game’
Getting his head around golf, however, is an ongoing thing.
“It’s mental,” he laughed. “Even this week, I’ve gone from feeling that I didn’t have that much on Wednesday to now feeling that I’m hitting it great.
“It’s such a stupid game. You never know what’s going to happen, so you just have to keep grinding away and hopefully good things happen.”
Hopefully another friend MacIntyre takes that to heart. The favourite’s challenge at the Belfry floundered at the self-same place Syme’s prospered.
MacIntyre had two early birdies to boost his three-under overnight position. But taking on the 10th brought a double-bogey six. He then lost a ball off the 11th tee to take a triple bogey seven there.
The Scot limped in with four-over 76, outwith the top 50.