Talk about good vibrations. Graeme Robertson has been riding a wave of success for so long, he should be serenaded on to the tee by the Beach Boys.
A prolific, dominant force on the domestic front, Robertson took his game across the Atlantic last week and conquered in Bermuda with victory in the Goslings Invitational.
Not only did the Grangemouth pro pick up a cheque for $11,000 – it was the biggest of his career – he also earned an invitation to hobnob with some of the stars of the PGA Tour in the $6.9 million Butterfield Bermuda Championship next month.
“My wife is already planning a return trip,” chuckled Robertson. But hang on a minute. If her husband keeps going at this rate, Mrs Robertson may not get that jolly jaunt back to paradise after all.
He is off to Spain on Monday for stage two of the DP World Tour’s qualifying school. If he overcomes that hurdle, then the six-round final awaits.
And if he makes the cut there, then there’s no chance he’ll get out to Bermuda in time as it’s the same week. Admittedly, that’s a lot of what-ifs and Robertson will cross that brig’ when, or indeed if, he comes to it.
“There would be a wee clash of dates, and I certainly couldn’t get from Spain to Bermuda,” he said. “It’s a nice problem to have, though.”
For the time being, Robertson is savouring another success in a season that’s been jampacked with them. On The PGA’s Tartan Tour, he won the Northern Open, retained his Scottish PGA Championship title and topped the order of merit.
On Paul Lawrie’s Tartan Pro Tour, meanwhile, he won twice, finished at the summit of the rankings and earned promotion to next year’s European Challenge Tour.
Robertson has plundered so many spoils of golfing war, his mantelpiece must be the size of the Hoover Dam.
“Ever since I qualified for The Open at Hoylake last year, I’ve been riding a wave,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s going but I’m trying to stay on that wave as long as I can. It’s one thing winning in Scotland but coming out to Bermuda was a totally different animal.
“I was out of my comfort zone, and it was quite stressful trying to hold on to a lead. But it was great to see that my game can travel and hold up in a very different environment.”
Not so long ago, Robertson, a fine amateur in his younger days, was working as a salesman for a building supplies company having taken a step back from the game to support his family.
The 36-year-old finally turned pro in 2021, and with fresh perspective and motivation, he is revelling in his second coming.
“Looking back to when I was selling timber from an office, it would’ve been ridiculous to think of getting a PGA Tour start,” he reflected. “I’ve already had a few messages from some of the guys I used to work with taking the p*** a wee bit. To them, I was just the guy who worked at the yard. They didn’t know I was a decent amateur golfer before I started there.
“I probably stayed in that job longer than I had planned. I got used to a regular wage coming in. We all have bills to pay, and I found myself just ticking along.
“When Covid hit, like a lot of people, I reassessed my career. There was more to life than just working. The opportunity to turn pro was there and I decided to go for it.
“I’m a late comer to professional golf. I’m still fresh, everything is still quite new. Maybe I appreciate it much more now than if I’d gone straight into from the amateur game and had been at it for 15 years?
“You see a lot of guys who have been chipping away for a long time and it’s maybe got them down a bit.”
Robertson is certainly on the up. There’s barely time for him to draw breath as he performs a quick turnaround to get out to Spain for the qualifying school test.
“I’m hoping it’s dry on Sunday so I can hang my washing out,” he chortled. “I’m going to q-school with nothing to lose. I’m going in a great run of form and with the security of a Challenge Tour card already there. It’s a great position to be in.”
Good vibrations, indeed.
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