Staff WriterIt turns out the Scottish Challenge isn’t just a test of golf—it’s a test of nerve, mettle, and whether you can hit a three-iron from 210 metres to two feet without flinching.
Spain’s Quim Vidal passed all three on Friday, carding a tidy six-under-par 65 to seize a two-shot lead heading into the weekend at the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A.
For those unfamiliar, SCHLOSS Roxburghe sounds like either a posh castle or a Bond villain’s lair. This week, it’s hosting one of the most unpredictable stops on the HotelPlanner Tour, where names can be made, nerves fray like old shoelaces, and birdies occasionally outnumber midges.
Vidal, a 25-year-old with a game as sharp as a Highland wind, now sits at 13-under par, two strokes ahead of homegrown hopes Euan Walker and Daniel Young. And he did it with all the fuss of someone choosing a sandwich.
“I was playing great,” Vidal shrugged after his round. “I wasn’t making a whole lot of putts, but I was playing very well.”
Not making putts and still shooting 65? That’s either galling or impressive, depending on how recently you missed a four-footer.
Vidal’s second round was a tale of patient persistence. After opening with four ho-hum pars, he jump-started the round with back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth.
A lone bogey on the seventh barely left a smudge on the card, especially after a laser-guided three-iron on the par-five 11th left him a tap-in eagle.
“I hit it a bit closer on the back nine, so it was easier to roll those in,” he said. “I had a three iron from around 210 meters on the 11th and managed to hit to two feet for an easy eagle.”
Well, easy for him. For the rest of us, a 210-metre three-iron is a prayer wrapped in hope.
The Scottish Challenge could mark a pivotal moment in Vidal’s career. Currently 12th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, a win here would just about punch his ticket to the DP World Tour.
But despite a shiny trophy dangling in the distance, the Spaniard’s keeping a cool head, mindful of recent stumbles—a missed cut in Germany and a forgettable 69th at the Czech Challenge.
“I haven’t played that well the last few tournaments, but I’ll try and perform as well as I can,” he admitted. “I don’t want to have too many expectations this weekend.”
Smart move. Expectations in golf are like seagulls at a picnic—best kept at a distance.
“The course suits me as it’s nice and firm, which helps me because I don’t hit it too far,” Vidal continued. “I’ve been hitting short irons into the greens which helps, and the greens are rolling nicely, which is good to see.”
While Vidal leads the dance, Denmark’s Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen is lurking solo in fourth at 10-under, with a global chase pack stacked behind him: Scots David Law and Marc Warren, Germany’s Marc Hammer, and Italy’s Aron Zemmer are all one back at nine-under.
Further down the leaderboard—but not out of the conversation—sit Road to Mallorca Number One Joshua Berry, former PGA Tour winner Tom Lewis, and Scotland’s own Will Porter at eight-under. A shot behind them? France’s Julien Quesne and Maxence Giboudot, plus England’s Will Enefer, who broke the course record on Thursday and presumably still has steam coming off his scorecard.
The third round of the Scottish Challenge tees off bright and early at 8:24 am on Saturday, but the main event kicks off at 12:59 pm, when Vidal joins Young and Walker in a three-ball that’s sure to draw every set of binoculars in the Borders.
If Vidal keeps swinging like this, he might just swap castles for clubhouses on the DP World Tour next season. One thing’s for sure—he’s not here for a holiday.
