Jamie McLeary’s first season on the European Tour has been a massive disappointment so far.
The Peterhead-born golfer is struggling to keep his card after nine consecutive missed cuts but the 33-year-old knows a good display at this week’s Open championship will make up for a lot of lost ground.
The former Challenge Tour player earned a place in his first major by finishing second at the final qualifier at Glasgow Gailes.
And he is determined to put the pressure of keeping his card on hold and try to enjoy the experience of teeing it up at Hoylake.
McLeary said: “Playing the main tour has been good this year, but this is on a totally different level.
“It’s so different to anything else, even the likes of Wentworth and the Scottish Open. There are so many people coming through the gates even for the practice days. I’ve been trying to get used to it before the tournament starts. The scale of the championship is something you either enjoy or let it get to you. I’m intending to enjoy it. I’ve played at a level where there’s nobody watching. It could have been a monthly medal. To have so many people watch me is really good and I can feed off their energy.”
McLeary played a practice round with two-time major winner Angel Cabrera – although their 18 holes got off to a bumpy start after McLeary asked the Argentine if he had watched his country’s World Cup final defeat to Germany.
He said: “I don’t actually watch much golf on the TV but I watched his last few holes when he won in America recently.
“He’s a very impressive player, that’s for sure. He speaks decent English but he didn’t say much during our round.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot when I asked him if he watched the football the other night.
“I don’t know if he took it too well. Some of the guys have been joking about Martin Kaymer being paired with him this week.”
Despite the excitement of being part of the field for the 143rd Open championship, McLeary will try to stay relaxed.
He added: “I’ll be treating it like any other event once I get between the ropes on Thursday. It’s a round of golf.
“I don’t set goals like making the cut or top 20. I’ve got a new set of irons in the bag this week, and I’ve played well in practice.
“If I play my best I feel like I can compete. If I don’t, I’ll be going home after two days.”