It may not have been the final round that Scott Jamieson was hoping for at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but he can be proud of his efforts.
He started the day on Sunday chasing a wire-to-wire victory at Yas Links, but a closing round of 77 meant he had to settle for a share of 10th place.
Thomas Pieters played brilliantly the whole week to win the biggest event in his career to date.
It was a shame Scott wasn’t able to finish the job on Sunday, because he had played so well to get himself into that position.
To be the leader after the first, second and third rounds is no mean feat.
He got off to a bad start on the Sunday and didn’t really hole many putts, but that can happen.
It is tough to win at any time, but it is especially difficult to win wire-to-wire.
He has a lot to be proud of and I’m sure he will learn from the experience.
There may be things he will do differently the next time he is in that position and that can only stand him in good stead.
He will be honest with himself and I’m sure he will have taken a lot from the week.
Instead it was the big-hitting Belgian who triumphed and it clearly meant a lot to him.
Thomas said afterwards that he had “disappeared for a couple of years”, but he is a brilliant golfer and when he gets in front he is ruthless.
His performance at the 2016 Ryder Cup – when he won a record four points as a rookie – proves he can be the man for a big occasion.
When he is on form, it looks effortless.
Feels amazing to win again, chickened out on 18 but a solid par was just enough. 🏆 #number6 pic.twitter.com/9MWoa1X4lw
— Thomas Pieters (@Thomas_Pieters) January 23, 2022
He doesn’t really have a weakness and he has the potential to surge up the world rankings and compete for majors.
I was disappointed to miss the cut. The conditions were very tough on the Friday – a real battle.
I played the final three holes in three over when one over would have been enough to make the weekend.
I’m looking forward to this week’s Dubai Desert Classic. It’s always nice to return to a venue where you have played well and my victories here in 2013 and 2014 remain very special to me.
Hopefully I can feed off those good memories this week. It is a course that suits me as I have also finished second and third here as well as a couple of other top-10s.
They have made a few changes over the years, including for this event, and the course is spectacular.
It is another Rolex Series event with a strong field and it is going to be a fantastic week.
The Renaissance man
Bryson DeChambeau has revealed he intends to play this summer’s Scottish Open to help his preparations for The Open at St Andrews.
That is great to hear and it would be brilliant for the fans.
After Tiger Woods, he is probably the next big draw in golf. The interest in him is similar to the hype around John Daly when he first burst on to the scene.
People just can’t wait to see him hitting a ball for miles – it is something a bit different.
It was great for the Scottish Open that Collin Morikawa played Renaissance last year and then went on to win the Open.
That will have given some of the other top Americans plenty of food for thought.
It will be fantastic for the Scottish Open if someone of Bryson’s stature has altered his schedule to play two events in Scotland.
Hopefully others will make the same decision.
Padraig endorses Luke Donald
The next European Ryder Cup captain was always going to come down to one of three or four likely candidates.
Lee Westwood has said he isn’t interested this time as he feels he can still qualify for the team and Ian Poulter also hopes to be in Italy as a player rather than in a non-playing role.
I thought it would be between Luke Donald and Henrik Stenson to succeed Padraig Harrington.
TEE TO GREEN, STEVE SCOTT: Luke Donald is a perfect compromise candidate for Ryder Cup captain
Padraig has endorsed Luke Donald for the role.
Luke has a wealth of experience. He has been world number one and played in a few Ryder Cups.
He has been a vice-captain, so he knows exactly what the role means.
I’m sure he would do a good job if he is the one to get the nod.
Graeme McDowell is another potential candidate, but he seems very well suited to 2027 when the Ryder Cup will head to Ireland.
