Richie Ramsay predicts Gullane will be a Scottish Open success

The Irish Open has been sprinkled with a bit of stardust, thanks to a stellar field, a superb setting at Royal County Down and sell-out crowds.

But Richie Ramsay is confident the Scottish Open will be every bit as good when the tournament heads to Gullane in July.

The course, which is just down the road from Muirfield, will be ideal preparation for The Open at St Andrews the week after.

And the chance to get some valuable links practice has enticed a host of star names to sign up, including Rory McIlroy and the last two winners, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson.

So Richie has no doubts the event will once again be a big success.

“The Scottish Open will be really good at Gullane,” he says.

“It’s a great golf course, there are lots of lovely little villages nearby and Edinburgh is not far away.

“If we have good weather, I hope we’ll see a lot of spectators out because I know we have a good field already. The links is great preparation for The Open, and that is the key thing.

“We should feel very privileged that the Scottish Open has that slot on the calendar because it allows us to have one of the best fields of the year.”

Ramsay will head to Gullane in confident mood as a 2015 tournament winner, having picked up the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco in March.

That was his third European Tour success and came at just the right time as his previous exemption had run out.

The Aberdeen-born golfer had missed the cut in his first five events of the year, but he showed great mental fortitude when his chance came.

Now those four days in Morocco have given him the platform to enjoy the rest of the year but don’t try telling him that he can slacken off.

“There’s no doubt winning relaxes you,” he admits. “It makes things a lot easier too.

“If someone tells you your job is secure for three years and you can pick which tournaments suit you, of course you feel less pressure. The security is nice.

“I’ve been working on a lot of things. But the most important is to keep believing because it’s a constant battle against yourself to be positive and hit committed shots.

“The secrets to my win were hard work and mental toughness. I’m a great believer that there are no shortcuts in life. Anyone who thinks differently is deluded, or has cheated.

“If you put in the hard work and stick to your guns, then success will come. Having a good team around you helps, but ultimately it comes down to what you do on the golf course.”