Now we are into 2025, thoughts begin to turn to the start of the new season in April and whilst the EuroDov Cup, the season opening event and Major, is the first event of the calendar year, for many the St Andrews Open and the start of the Order of Merit is the signal the season is here.

The Order of Merit enters its 5th year in 2025 and has matured and settled into the premier event of the EuroDov Tour calendar. In 2025 16 players will compete to win the James Braid Quaich, the field boasts five Major winners and nine players who have at least one Order of Merit event win to their name and with four prize money spots and two relegation places at play every player needs to be on form to contend.

EuroDov Reporter has taken time to sit down and look at each individual player and assess their prospects ahead of 2025. So, sit back, and enjoy their reviews.

Next up is Jim Robertson.

Jim returns in 2025 after having to cut his season short in 2024 due to health issues. I think it’s an understatement to say that everyone is delighted to have him back and he is one of a few players who people are always happy to see on their tee time.

His laid-back approach to the game and his compete for fun makes him the perfect partner to walk the course with and to have him back on Tour is fantastic.

Robertson made his Order of Merit debut in 2022 with a spectacular bridie on the opening hole at St Andrews. He’d finish 5th that day, and showed he wasn’t just there to make up the numbers.

Robertson is a pretty steady player on Tour, his best finish was a fourth place at the King’s Cup in 2023 with a 16th place finish at the Tour Champs in 2023 being his worst. Across the 16 events he’s played in he averages an 8th place finish.

If we take that average, he’d rack up 4000 points in the season that would be enough to place him in 9th in 2023 and 2024 and 10th in 2022. He’d be 1250 points clear of relegation (24) and 2025 points clear in 2023.

Looking at his 2024 season it is worth noting that after only playing in 4 events he’d accrued enough points to avoid relegation before his medical exemption kicked in.

Across the rota Robertson’s most successful tournament is the Dodhead Invitational with an average finishing position of 6th it is then the King’s and MCM at 7th and St Andrews at 8th. His worst event by far is the Tour Champs.

So, looking at all this where does Robertson land in 2025?

I think everyone will give Jim the benefit of the doubt if he has a slow start in 2025, after all he hasn’t hit a ball since early June.

However, I am not as forgiving, the St Andrews Open is one of Jim’s best events and I think he’ll be raring to go come April.

There is no part of Robertson’s game that is exceptional, but all of it is very good. He’s efficient with the ball, very rarely finding trouble and very often carding pars. It is a receipt that some of the boom or bust players on Tour could do well to learn from.

I see Jim hanging in tough this year and if he finds his game he could have a good season. His ceiling is somewhere around mid-table, with an 8th place finish and his floor is definitely above relegation, but after looking at the numbers I see Robertson finishing a very respectable 12th place.

There’s no doubt everyone will be delighted to see him back come April, but they might just be frustrated with his steady play and every ascending position in the standings.