By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
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.”
