Liam

Johnston

The 28-year-old Scotsman shot 70-67 last week at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open but missed the cut by two shots. Johnston has seen weekend action in just one event in four starts this season, finishing T-26 at the Kenya Savannah Open. He’s looking to get some momentum going after finishing off the 2020 season with five straight missed cuts. Johnston did crack the top 20 with a T-14 finish at the Portugal Masters, but made just two other cuts in 11 total starts. Johnston has fond memories of playing in Spain after winning the Challenge Tour’s Andalucia Costa del Sol Match Play 9 there in 2018. He graduated to the European Tour following his 2018 season on the Challenge Tour, during which he won twice – first at the match-play event and then at the Kazakhstan Open four months later.

The Scot has fond memories of Spain after winning the Challenge Tour’s Andalucia Costa Del Sol Matchplay 9 there last season. Since then, of course, he has been undertaking his rookie season on the main tour and whilst there have been some highlights it has been hard work, as evidenced by a ranking of 141st in the Race to Dubai. The problem has been the 17 missed cuts because he’s managed T8 in the Kenya Open (at altitude like this week), T5 in the Czech Masters and T15 two starts ago in the KLM Open.

The Scott ended the week alongside Matthias Schwab, Erik Van Rooyen, Rikard Karlberg and Hugo Leon, but five shots back of the winner Thomas Pieters. More importantly he improved on his previous ET career best of T8 at this year’s Kenya Open (and claimed just a second ET top 20). It will also assist his attempt to retain his card for next year, having started the week at 159th on the Race to Dubai. The front nine was a scrap which witnessed bogeys at the fourth and seventh, with atoning birdies at the sixth and ninth. On the way home he made the most of the par-5 tenth and 12th holes, adding seven pars elsewhere.

That’s just a single shot back from current halfway leader Robert Karlsson. It’s pretty obvious where Johnston has done his best work this week. He birdied all four par 5s in an opening 67 and ticked three of the four today so is 7-under on the long holes. He’s also limited the mistakes. The World No. 407 played his first 31 holes without a bogey but swallowed late squares at 14 and 18, either side of birdie-2 at 16. The Scot entered this week ranked 159th on the Race to Dubai and with seven missed cuts and no finish better than T42 in his last nine starts since taking T8 at the Magical Kenya Open. He was a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour last year but has found the step up a difficult one. This is a chance to turn his season around.

Right now, with the afternoon wave finding conditions a little tougher, that’s worth T6 on the live board, six back from four-shot leader Louis De Jager. The Scot had a sticky start with a run of 5-5-5 from 11-13 although two of those are par 5s. He balanced the books with birdie at 14 and added another at 18 to turn in 35. Coming home, he again carded a single bogey (3) against two birdies (6 and 7) to complete a strong first 36 holes. Johnston, a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour last season, has missed seven of his ten cuts so far this season but did manage T30 in the Saudi International and T38 at last week’s Qatar Masters.

The Scot had a rollercoaster front nine which witnessed two early birdies at the first and second, dropped shots at three, four and seven, then a much needed par breaker at the ninth. The back nine witnessed more ground made: ticks at 13, 14, 15 and 18, one cross at 17. He is inexperienced at this level with just seven starts and a best of T22 in the European Open. He’s also 1-for-3 for the year with a best of T72. But keep an eye on him the rest of the week. He’s a three-time winner in the year (once on the third tier Pro Golf Tour, twice on the Challenge Tour), he’s also earned two invites to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship via a relationship with the Dunhill owner Johann Rupert – also owner of Leopard Creek - off the back of winning the SA Amateur here in 2017.

The young Scotsman was the recent winner of the Challenge Tour’s Andalucia - Costa Del Sol Match Play 9, defeating compatriot Grant Forrest in the final. The 25-year-old started the year with no status on the second tier, but now finds himself with the odd opportunity on the main tour and this is one of them. Last year he was a double-winner on the amateur circuit and then made the cut on his pro debut at the Dunhill Links Championship. The University of Tennessee grad won on the Pro Tour (third tier) earlier this season showing he knows how to win. MC last week in the Czech Republic.