Sandy Scott set for 'surreal' start to his pro career in Argentine Open

It’s been a long journey that has encountered some speed bumps along the way, but this week will finally see Sandy Scott make his professional debut - more than 7,000 miles from his beloved Nairn.
Sandy Scott pictured playing in the 120th US Open at Winged Foot, where he earned a spot as a qualifier. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images.Sandy Scott pictured playing in the 120th US Open at Winged Foot, where he earned a spot as a qualifier. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images.
Sandy Scott pictured playing in the 120th US Open at Winged Foot, where he earned a spot as a qualifier. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images.

The 24-year-old starts an exciting new chapter in his career in the Visa Argentine Open in Buenos Aires, having secured a card for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica through one of the circuit’s recent qualifying tournaments.

It’s a feeder circuit, with Scott hoping he can initially secure a step up to the Korn Ferry Tour then join Russell Knox and Martin Laird in flying the Saltire on the PGA Tour.

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The new PGA Tour Latinoamerica season starts with back-to-back events in Argentina before the schedule has stops in Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico.

“It’s under the PGA Tour umbrella,” said Scott. “The Latinoamerica feeds the Korn Ferry Tour and the Korn Ferry feeds the PGA Tour. The top five in order of merit progress to the Korn Ferry.

“I’m just happy to have somewhere that allows me to put together a schedule and be able to get some tournaments under my belt and have an order of merit to work towards. I’ve never been down to South America, so it’s an exciting new experience and a great place to start my journey.”

On the back of an eye-catching amateur career on both sides of the Atlantic, Scott had been looking to set out in the professional world two years ago only to find those plans being put on hold due to the Covid pandemic.

As he stayed on at Texas Tech – his younger brother Calum is there now and also making an impact on the US college circuit – to try and keep as competitive as possible, the 2019 Walker Cup player then sustained a wrist injury and it’s taken lots of patience to finally arrive at this point.

“You know, I’m so happy,” admitted Scott, who has signed for Wasserman, where he joins the likes of Open champion Cameron Smith, Rickie Fowler, Viktor Hovland, Jason Day, Tony Finau and the Korda sisters - Nelly and Jessica - on its client list. “For a long time I wasn’t sure I was going to get here, so it feels a bit surreal, but I am delighted to be here now.

“Patience has been the key over the last couple of years. I wouldn’t say I am a typically patient person, so I’d say these last two or three years I’ve learned more about myself than ever before.

“You know, golf was such a big part of my life and to have that, I suppose, taken away, I was exposed to things that I wasn’t really paying attention to much. It opened up a whole load of doors for me to start learning about myself as a person.”

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Scott’s success in securing his PGA Tour Latinoamerica card came after he’d been unable to make progress in the qualifying process for both the Korn Ferry Tour and DP World Tour on this occasion.

“The good thing about the last few months is that I’ve been fairly regular with tournaments, so I’ve got plenty of competitive golf under my belt and that’s definitely helped keep my brain switched on and my performance levels up,” he said.

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