Just seven days after he was pipped by countryman Grant Forrest at Fairmont, Perthshire’s Calum Hill fulfilled what so many believed with his own European Tour win at the Cazoo Classic in Kent.
The 26-year-old of Crook of Devon wiped out a three-shot deficit on the final day at the London club with a five-under final round of 67 and win with a 16-under aggregate of 272. France’s Alexander Levy finished in second just a shot back.
An immediate bounce back after last week’s disappointment
Hill's Highlights in under 2 minutes 🎥#CazooClassic pic.twitter.com/BddIaEnBgq
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 15, 2021
Kirkcaldy-born Hill had a great chance to win last week in the Hero Open but faltered around the turn and Forrest came through to win. The East Lothian man predicted – along with may others – that it wouldn’t be long until his friend won his first tour title and he was absolutely right.
“Grant sent me a really nice message after he won, just saying `you’re a great player and you’ll win’,” said Calum. “I didn’t expect it because he’d be so busy so it was a nice touch.
“It gives you a little extra confidence knowing that your peers feel the same way as you do.”
Forrest and Hill are the first back-to-back Scottish winners on the European Tour since Paul Lawrie (Johnnie Walker Championship) and Richie Ramsay (Omega European Masters) in 2012. They’re both in the same management group, and the Scottish contingent on tour are a tight group, said Hill.
“It’s extra special for Stoddy (manager Iain Stoddart) at Bounce, we’re both in the same team,” he said. “When you get a group of people who spur one another on, the camaraderie between everyone on tour, it’s just brilliant to see it.
“There’s lots of really good players coming through from Challenge Tour and it’ll be a really group of guys out here soon.”
‘Last week was very promising to me’
The Champion's thoughts 🎤#CazooClassic pic.twitter.com/SCFL2aCz7A
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 15, 2021
Hill had won at every level he’d played at – amateur, US mini-tours, the Challenge Tour – but he admitted the first big tour win had “taken a little longer to get done”.
“This year I’ve been in a few good positions and not had the strongest of Sundays,” he said. “Last week was actually very promising to me. I felt very comfortable and just had a little blunder around the turn.
“This week I wouldn’t say I was in as good a position as last week, being three back at the start of the day, but it’s always hard to win a golf tournament. I managed to stick in and perform nicely, and win the tournament.”
Hill was actually flat-lining a little early on in the final round, but he always felt the spark wasn’t far away.
“I played really nice golf this week, especially yesterday, but just didn’t get a score going,” he said. “I came out today really nice again but wasn’t really scoring and had a bit of a sloppy three-putt.
“But 8 and 9 got me going. The 8th is one you’d hope and expect to get but I hit a lovely shot to the middle of the green. Nine I hit a wedge close, and then at 10 I put an 8 iron to six feet and I rolled that in for a big bonus.
“I had a big save on 11 and that four-hole stretch gave me a great chance.”
‘I needed that one and it was great to do it’
Leading by one. The biggest tee shot of Hill's career…#CazooClassic pic.twitter.com/vD3xCWuGYu
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 15, 2021
With playing partner Rasmus Hojgaard unable to get going, Levy’s final round 64 set the target of 15-under and Hill picked up further birdies at the 13th and 15th to go to -16. It needed one more test of the nerve, an up and down at 17 from a bunker.
“I thought I hit it a little firm out of the bunker and it ended up nine, ten feet beyond the flag,” he said. “But I had a brilliant putt that went right in the middle. I needed that one and it was great I was able to do it.”
The confidence that will come and the doors that could open from this win are considerable, but Hill is staying grounded.
“You want it to become kind of habitual, become a process you’ve comfortable in and you can manage to accomplish it at every level you play at,” he said. “I’m happy with how I felt, the last nine holes and how I handled that situation.
“Hopefully I can keep pushing on and when I get in this circumstance again feel as comfortable as I was today.
‘Hopefully this isn’t the peak and I keep pushing forward’
“When you accomplish what you feel you can accomplish, it spurs you on and gives you confidence. Hopefully this isn’t the peak and I keep pushing forward.
“Good things come with good play. A lot of it is week in week out, doing the best you can and where you finish at the end of the year is where it is. But I push to finish as high as possible and what rewards come with that are just a bonus on top.”
Richie Ramsay finished in the top ten to crack the top 60 on the Race to Dubai, while another Perthshire golfer, Daniel Young, had his best tour performance with an eight-under total to finish in the top 30.