Despite the impact of two weeks of quarantine on his practice routine, Tom picked up where he left off in September with another fine performance.
His fast start on Day One ensured that the Manx flag made an appearance on the leader board and, despite the cold and sometimes wintery conditions at the home of golf, the Manxman managed an impressive 17 birdies over the 4 days, with rounds of 70-73-73-68 to end the week at 4 under par, securing a Tied 51st finish.
In spite of the restrictions placed on players and events due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the loss of almost half of the season, it is a measure of Tom’s progress over the last year that making the cut on full European Tour events has become his baseline expectation.
“It was great to be back out there after time away due to the self-isolation rules on the Island - and nice to get four more rounds under my belt, ending positively. I’m hoping for the next opportunity to be in Italy and I’ll be aiming to build on the positive finish in Scotland.”
This confidence shows how far the 2020 Isle of Man Sports Ambassador of the Year has come in the past 12 months, when he moved from competing on the EuroPro Tour with events almost exclusively in the UK, to a schedule that has already taken him all around Europe and South Africa. This international focus continues over the next six weeks or so, as a host of event options are on Tom’s radar. These include The Italian Open , where he has just been confirmed as a starter, followed by possible tournaments in Cyprus, Spain, the Middle East, and South Africa before the end of the year.
Once again, Tom will be aiming to carry the Manx flag – and the Oak brand – to the first page of the leader board as he continues to compete against some of the very top names in the sport. His competition this week includes major winner Martin Kaymer, former world number one Lee Westwood, and Ryder cup stars Jamie Donaldson, Eduardo Molinari, and Thorbjorn Olesen among another quality field.