Warren ready to tackle first major

Scottish star Marc says he “can’t wait to get going” in the US Open

your Marcs: Warren will make his major debut at long last in this week’s US Open Championship

On the eve of his first major appearance, Scotland’s Marc Warren has said he “can’t wait to get going.”

Warren, a World Cup winner for Scotland in 2007, is making his maiden major bow in the 112th US Open Championship at Olympic Club this week. And having earned his place through an international qualifier at Walton Heath, the Scotsman is relishing the prospect of his debut.

“It feels great to have made it to my first major,” he told bunkered. “It’s an exciting time – especially so because it’s a US Open. That’s pretty cool. Now, I just can’t wait to get going.”

It’s been a long time coming for the 31-year-old former European Tour Rookie of the Year. The immensely talented Scot has plied his trade in the paid ranks for a decade. He first earned his European Tour card in 2006 and is a two-time winner on the circuit, having clinched the Scandinavian Masters in his first season as well as the Johnnie Walker Championship on home soil at Gleneagles in 2007.

With such an impressive CV, it has long seemed something of an anomaly that the Rutherglen man had never mixed it at one of golf’s big four events. Warren admitted it was a weight off to have finally sealed his first major spot.

“I’ve been close so many times,” he said. “I guess it’s taken longer than I thought to make it here. So yeah it’s been a bit of a relief to get my first appearance booked.”

Currently placed 77th in the Race to Dubai, Warren decided to skip last week’s Nordea Masters in order to prepare for what will be the biggest event of his career so far. However, though focussed on the task at hand, he said he’s tried not to deviate from his usual practice schedule.

“I’ve tried to keep my preparation simple, just as normal as possible. I put in quite a bit of practise at Mar Hall and I saw Pete Cowen before I left. I’ve really been trying to get my short game as sharp as possible.

“Though I’ve been putting plenty of hours in, I made sure I had a little bit of downtime before I flew over here. It can be just as important that you don’t over prepare.”

Having never played the Lake Course before, the moment Warren booked his place at Olympic he set about researching the notoriously daunting layout online before he crossed the pond.

“Since I qualified, I have been looking at the course online as often as possible. There are a few flyovers which go into great detail, so they helped me familiarise myself with the course before I even came out here.

Having done his homework, the Scotsman is certain that Olympic will present a challenge befitting of the US Open, known as the toughest test in golf.

“It requires a lot of shaping off the tee if you’re going to hold the fairways – and the same with your approach shots to the greens,” he said. “The fairways feature a lot of ‘reverse cambers’, which is something I’ve never really seen before.

“Though it’s not one of the longest major courses, it is most definitely one of the toughest. And as this is my first major, I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t!

With that assessment in mind, the Scotsman said he feels that his game could be suited to the US Open.

“I like to move the ball in the air, I like to shape shots, so hopefully that will help. That’s also something I’ve been working on. I think that could be important when it comes to holding the ball against the slopes here.

“My short game and short putting have been pretty strong this year, which should help on these greens. Obviously it will be important just to keep the ball in play throughout, and I feel I’ve been pretty good at that recently.

Warren also revealed that, like a fellow Nike staff player, he’ll be making an addition to his bag for the challenge at Olympic.

“I’ve been looking to find an alternative to use off the tee. I’ve brought a new Nike VRS 3-iron with me for this week. I might visit the tour van and have it strengthened to a 2-iron loft. I know Tiger is planning on doing something similar. That could be the club that keeps me in play off the tee.

“I’ve also put some new Nike VRS wedges in the bag this week. They’re the same model and lofts that I’ve used for a while now, but I just felt that with greens this firm -and there’s basically zero per cent chance of rain, so they’re only going to get firmer – I could do with some new, sharper grooves.

Though he’s set to tee up into the biggest event of his decade-long career, Warren said that his goals would not change.

“My goal is the same as it has been all season: to give each and every shot 100%. It may sound a little clichéd, but it’s an approach that works. All I can do is concentrate on my next shot, not the week as a whole. If I do that, I’ll be happy. I need to play like I would during a normal tour event, nothing different.”

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered