One thing has always been obvious about Ewen Ferguson. From early in his golfing life, the now 25-year-old was clearly a winner. British Boys champion in 2013, he picked up the Scottish Boys Match Play and Stroke Play titles a year later. Then in 2015, he was the Scottish “Champion of Champions,” then part of the six-man Scottish side that claimed the European Team Championship.
So give him a chance and he generally takes it. Which is what happened when Ferguson was called into the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup squad at Royal Lytham in 2015 after Sam Horsfield withdrew. As part of a winning home side, the late replacement contributed a vital point against the visiting Americans, beating Maverick McNealy in the opening day singles.
And even when Ferguson does miss a trick, he learns quickly. Just three weeks after squandering a four-shot lead with 18 holes to play in the Magical Kenya Open, the Glaswegian is a winner on the DP World Tour.
A final-round 70 over a blustery Doha Golf Club gave Ferguson a seven-under 281 and victory in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. American Chase Hanna wound up second, one shot behind the fast-finishing Scot, who closed eagle-par-birdie to snatch the title from a host of challengers blown away on the strong winds.
Hanna closed with a three-birdie, two-bogey 71 in what was only his 20th appearance on the DP World Tour. The 25-year-old University of Kansas graduate finished 13th on the 2021 Challenge Tour rankings to gain a promotion that had, until now, shown little in the way of positive results. Hanna arrived in the Gulf on the back of five consecutive missed cuts.
At various times on the final day, the lead was held by Hanna, Adrian Meronk of Poland (who tied for third alongside Marcus Kinhult of Sweden) and Englishman Matthew Jordan. But it was Ferguson who made the vital thrust at just the right time, appearing as if from nowhere when he chipped-in for an eagle 2 from behind the green on the drivable 307-yard 16th, then holing from 20 feet for birdie on the 596-yard par-5 18th.
“This is unbelievable” said Ferguson, a three-time qualifying school graduate who started the week 67th on the DP World Tour rankings, but left in 11th spot. “Years and years of hard work have gone into this. My mum and dad, sister and brother gave me everything to get to this moment. It’s a dream come true. My dad tells every day how proud he is of me and that helps me stay relaxed. He knows I’m out there trying my best every day, which is all you can do.
“I’ll keep going after this,” he continued. “My coach [Jamie Gough] and I have been working hard on my game, making sure it is right. I got here early today because e told me my chipping wasn’t good enough. So we worked on that and I chipped in today at a great moment. The wind getting didn’t hurt, of course. I’m from Scotland. Plus, I’ve been in contention enough on the Challenge Tour, then again out here. Today I managed to deal with it all. And now I’m a winner. It’s incredible.”
But not that unexpected. He knew what he was doing. Has done for a while now.