Connor Syme will no doubt be reflecting on the last couple of weeks on the European Tour.
For the second Sunday running, Connor shared the lead going into the final round at Celtic Manor.
He fell short of winning the tournament on both occasions, but I can guarantee the experience will have been invaluable for him.
It’s very hard to win a tournament on the European Tour and only one guy can come out on top in an event.
But the more times you can be up there challenging then clearly the better your chances of success are going to be.
Connor has found himself knocking on the door two weeks running and I’ve no doubt he will be back at the same door trying to pry it open again. What I don’t know is what impact the last two weeks will have on how he goes about trying to change the outcome the next time.
He’s had a good run at it and I’m sure after the final round finished at the Wales Open he will have spent the evening deep in thought.
Only Connor knows what, if anything, he would have done differently.
Golf is a game with so many ponderable moments and, in Connor’s case, I expect he will have run through several elements of his round internally.
He’ll have questioned whether he was too defensive, too attack-minded, whether his putting, driving or short game let him down, whether he got lost in the moment, caught watching the scoreboard or what the other guy was doing.
There are so many processes to be considered, but only Connor knows whether he would change anything the next time he gets himself in a position to win.
Tied 3rd. Felt great to be in the hunt back nine on a Sunday. Not to be this time but we go again next week 👊🏽. 🏴. pic.twitter.com/ht2O7v7pQ1
— Connor Syme (@connor_syme) August 17, 2020
It could be that none of it was within his control and it’s simply down to another golfer being better on the day.
That’s the one factor none of us can influence or change, but only Connor knows whether he did all he could.
But the most important part is not to be downbeat at all. He’s qualified for the US Open as a result of his recent performances and he just has to focus on continually putting himself in a position and being patient when the next chance does arise.
We’re all in the same boat in that respect. When we hit our first tee shot in any event, the aim is to still be in with a chance of winning at the turn in our final round.
If we don’t achieve then we look inward, but no matter if you’ve had a good week or a bad week, there are always lessons to be learned.
Stalwarts of game will be missed by all
It will be an end of an era soon as two stalwarts of the game call time on their careers in the game.
I cannot think of a time when I’ve been in a tournament and neither John Paramor nor Andy McFee, two of our rules officials, have not been there.
With more than 80 years of administering the rules of the game between them, John, who has been with the European Tour since 1976 and Andy since 1983, have decided to step down.
The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in October 8 will be their final event and it’s a fitting farewell at the headquarters of the European Tour itself.
They are two larger than life characters who have done a fantastic job for the game.
Every big event they were there and I would be amazed to know how many tournaments they have refereed. There are tour events, Ryder Cup matches, majors, you name it. It must be well into the thousands.
Well respected by players and colleagues, they are going to be missed.
Popov’s invite to remaining majors is a no-brainer
There have been few golfing fairytales as spectacular as Sophia Popov’s feat in winning the Women’s Open at Royal Troon at the weekend.
The German pulled of a stunning win in producing the most impressive, relentless final round I’ve seen for a while. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and, as the story about her background started coming out during her round, she became the player I think every neutral was rooting for.
From the role of caddie and Lyme disease sufferer ranked 304th in the world to major winner, it’s a tale which will live long in the memory.
A golfer with no playing privileges on any of the major circuits, Popov’s first professional win was a joy to behold. She tamed Troon and displayed the confidence of someone winning their fifth major, not their first.
Incredibly, despite a life-changing win and a huge jump up the world rankings, the new world number 24 finds herself in the daft position of needing an invite to compete in two of the remaining three majors because she does not possess an LPGA Tour card. Surely commonsense will prevail and she’ll compete in the remaining majors.
She deserves it.