THE very nature of life as a touring professional means you are here, there and everywhere. It’s a bit like this correspondent’s tee-shots.
If you’re not checking in at one place, then you’re checking out of another before checking in again somewhere else as you embark on the kind of round-the-houses globetrotting that would have had Phileas Fogg saying “sod this boys, I’ll sit this leg out”.
In this game, you’re constantly on the move and for Scott Jamieson there is a big move looming on the horizon.
“We are moving to America just before Christmas,” said the 33-year-old from Glasgow who is set to swap the dear green place for the sunshine state of Florida.
The latest destination on the golfing itinerary for Jamieson is the Regnum Carya resort here in Antalya for this week’s Turkish Airlines Open but the Scot is already looking further afield to a relocation that he feels will bring benefits both personally and professionally.
Jamieson has a strong affinity with the good old US of A, of course. He went to college at Augusta State and his wife is originally from the Orlando area.
It’s a home from home with the added bonus of a climate that can help keep the cogs of his particular industry ticking over nicely, especially during those winter months when practice in Scotland can often be as productive as staring at a wall.
“We moved out our house last week and I hope I never have to do it again,” he said of the joys of packing boxes. Not that he’s been doing much of that, mind you.
“My wife did 99 per cent of it, I did one per cent and it was hellish,” he added with a smile. “I was saying, ‘I think I need to play again next week’ just to stay away.
“I’ll still be playing on the European Tour though. The travelling won’t be much different. For seven months of the year we are on long haul anyway, and in the summer I’ll probably come back over for a two-month stint.
“You can live where you want really when you’re on the tour. There are guys who live in America who play the European Tour and the Aussie boys will travel more than I will. The only thing that will be different will be that I’ll schedule different.
“I’ll sit on the plane a little bit longer, but will probably take fewer flights. I guess the jet lag will be something I’ll need to learn how to live with but I’m pretty used to it anyway.”
“I will practice more in good weather and I’ll be on the golf course more too. You don’t get much chance to practice chipping and putting in Scotland.”
Jamieson had a strong start to 2017 with a fourth and a third at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Indian Open respectively.
There was something of a summer slump but a sixth place finish in the Andalucia Masters recently set him up for what he hopes will be a final flourish as the tour moves towards a cash-soaked conclusion over the next three weeks.
“Getting into this first one of the Final Series opens the door for the next two,” said Jamieson, who is 71st on the money list and needs to keep moving up to make sure he gains entry to the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
“I’ll probably pay attention to the guys just in front of me and just behind me on the rankings but, at the end of the day, if I have a top 10 here then that would take care of everything.”
Jamieson’s fellow Glasgow man, Marc Warren, is handily perched at No 54 on the Race to Dubai after a profitable spell which saw him post a second, a 15th, a fourth and a 10th in a four week period.
“I think what was most satisfying in the good run I had was the way I kept it going after finishing second in Portugal,” he said. “I was trying not to rest on my laurels. After having a good week, it was a case of moving on from that and trying to keep it going.
“That’s something I’ve not done too well in the past so it was nice to play consistently well for a month.”
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