Torphins golfer Greig Hutcheon can’t wait to make his maiden appearance in the Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl this week.
Darren Clarke will be bidding to defend his title at the South Wales venue – which is hosting the senior major for the third time.
Hutcheon is playing on the Legends Tour this season after earning one of five cards on offer at Q School in January.
The 50-year-old has settled quickly on the tour and sits fifth on the order of merit after his first four events.
The highlight to date was a runner-up finish in last month’s Jersey Legends, but his form has been impressive, with a top-10 in the Irish Legends and top-20 finishes in his other two starts.
Hutcheon said: “I got into the Senior Open through doing reasonably OK in the first few events on the Legends Tour.
“I had a second in Jersey, which helped.
“There were four places for those who weren’t already exempt but were inside the top 30 on the order of merit.
“I found out a few days after the last event in Switzerland, which was great.
“I’m really enjoying the Legends Tour. It is quite bizarre being called a rookie and the young pup at the age of 50!
“They have had a lot of links golf so far, which has been great. We had links golf in Jersey and Ireland, which were my two best finishes so far.
“I also had top-20s in Austria and Switzerland. I don’t know a lot of the courses and the one we played in Switzerland was definitely one you would need to know if you were going to do well.
“It was a mountain course and there were a few dangerous spots that I didn’t really spot on the practise rounds and it caught me out.”
A true links test expected at Senior Open
Hutcheon is also taking a step into the unknown when he heads to Wales this week.
He said: “I haven’t played Royal Porthcawl before, which was why I travelled down on Sunday.
“I wanted to be able to get at least two full practise rounds on the course.
“I imagine it will be a pretty standard R&A set-up and a real test of golf.
“I have heard lots of good things about the course and it looks like a true links.
“I will really have to study the golf course. The tricky thing with a links course is you may see it in one wind and then it plays completely differently in the tournament.
“You have to try to visualise what the course would be like in an opposite wind so it doesn’t catch you out.
“Links golf can be so different from one day to the next. One hole can be a driver and 3-wood, and the next day it is a driver and lob wedge.”
Hutcheon fields questions from fellow pros ahead of event at Trump in Aberdeenshire
Also on the horizon for Hutcheon is a home event with the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship taking place at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire from August 23-27.
Hutcheon has already been inundated with other players on the tour asking what they can expect when they travel to the north-east next month.
He said: “I have played there quite a few times, so it’s a golf course I know.
“A lot of the guys have been asking me about it and I have been telling them that they will love it.
“There are so many different tees on every hole you don’t know what we are going to get for the week of the event.
“I played there earlier this year and I came across a tee box I never even knew existed.
“I’m looking forward to it and I think the club is looking forward to hosting a big event out there.
“It is an amazing golf course and stunning visually.”
Q-School graduate, Greig Hutcheon is making a move up the leaderboard to within one-shot of the leaders 📊#JerseyLegends pic.twitter.com/zYQBZsqYz8
— Legends Tour (@euLegendsTour) June 11, 2023
Champions Tour remains a target
Hutcheon made it through to the final stage of Champions Tour Q School, but fell short of landing one of the five spots on offer on the lucrative tour.
He is determined to have another crack at making it to the United States-based tour.
He said: “If you were to do well in the Senior Open then the money counts towards the Champions Tour.
“It is such a tough tour to get on.
“I think this year they have announced that the Tour School will only have four cards – it was five last year.
“I have heard from a few people who think the places available will go down again when Tiger Woods (who is 48 in December) turns 50 and starts playing on the tour, as they expect there will be a huge interest.
“It would be lovely to get out there at some point.
“It is the biggest senior tour there is. You have guys like Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington all playing on it, and I would love to experience that.”
