By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Ewen Ferguson, one of two Scots to win on this season’s DP World Tour, has spoken about his tough decision to sit out next week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on home soil.
The $5 million event is set to boast one of its strongest-ever fields, with world No 3 Rory McIlroy, defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, double BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel and Genesis Scottish Open title holder Bob MacIntyre set to be joined by a posse of LIV Golf players.
They include Jon Rahm, this year’s individual champion on the breakaway circuit, and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, as well as Tyrell Hatton, a two-time Dunhill Links champion.
Ferguson, who landed his third DP World Tour title when winning the BMW International Open in Munich earlier in the year, sits 24th in the Race to Dubai and one big week before the end of the season could catapult him into a position to secure one of ten PGA Tour cards up for grab for next year.
However, the 28-year-old is missing out on a home appearance due to still being affected by health issues, having faced a battle with vertigo earlier in the year then being forced to pull out of the Czech Masters last month due to numbness in his hands.
“I’m not playing the Dunhill, which is due to my health issues,” Ferguson, who finished in a tie for 17th in the event, which is played at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews in 2021, told The Scotsman. “I struggle with numb hands in the cold and it was the same in the recent Irish Open.
“It’s long rounds as well in the Dunhill and I still don’t feel 100 per cent healthy, so I don’t want to ruin myself for other big weeks coming up.”
This season’s new-look schedule culminates in two Play-Off events in the Middle East, with the top 70 in the Race to Dubai qualifying for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship then the top 50 teeing up in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Due to his current lofty position in the standings, Ferguson is virtually certain of playing in both events but, still, he is disappointed that he won’t be joining MacIntyre and a posse of others in flying the Saltire next week.
“Absolutely, it was a big call,” he added, “and, initially, I wasn’t going to play in Madrid this week but tee up in the Dunhill Links, but, when your health is the most important thing, you have to make some tough decisions.
“I have to pick what I feel is right for me and, if it was really cold at the Dunhill, I know I would really struggle. That’s the reason behind it and yes, of course, it’s a bit sad for me as I know the courses inside out and I also love the tournament.
But, instead, I’ll be taking a week off and getting myself ready for the last couple of events of the year.
“I am still chasing a PGA Tour card. In this game, there is always a dangling carrot. No matter how you are doing, it’s always a case of ‘come and get this or come and get that’.
“You sometimes think to yourself ‘lovely, I can chill for a bit’ but you can’t really as there’s always something to play for. For instance, you want to finish in the top 30 in the Race to Dubai to get into The Open.
“It never ends and I will be trying my best to achieve my goals while, at the same time, choosing my schedule a bit more wisely for myself going forward.”
