The 2022 Order of Merit saw the second iteration of the event and whilst much of it was very familiar it did boast differences I the introduction of 2 new venues and a doubling of the field from 7 to 14.

The expansion of the field was welcomed across the board and was seen as a mark of success for the 2021 Order of Merit. The increased field introduced new competition and increased the stakes for a good performance at each and every event.

Unlike 2021 the Order of Merit only saw three winners, David McColgan picked up where he left off in 2021 by winning two events in a row at the start of the season. He was soon pegged back however with rookie Paul Gowens winning at Aberdour and again at Canmore. Kevin Brannan’s performance at the Tour Championships, brilliant as they were, were not enough to dislodge McColgan from the top of the Order of Merit.

At the close of play at Craigielaw, McColgan would stand 2050 points clear of the chasing field and would retain the moniker of EuroDov Tour Champion Golfer of the Year.

David McColgan, Champion Golfer of the Year, how does that sound, again?

“Afternoon guys – it is a huge honour to win the 2022 Order of Merit. It has been a great season, with lots of story lines, and to have played my part in that is what mean the most to me.”

At the start of the season, you said your focus was on top-5 finishes, how do you think that strategy faired?

“I think I held pretty true to it to be honest. My worst finish of the year was T5th so I can’t really complain.
The event where it really helped me was the MCM @ Aberdour. I think last year I would have got frustrated to see someone shooting 7-under par and having no chance of even getting close to that, but in 2022 I played my game and carded a 1-under par round to finish 3rd.”

You also said at the start of the season that “it would be hard to replicate [your] three-win season in 2021. You ended up winning four events how does that feel?

“I think I have said all the way through the season – it’s pretty unbelievable to be honest. It was great to defend the St Andrews Open and the Kinghorn Classic and was pretty special to win on my home course at Burntisland. By my performance at the Forrester Open @ Lochgelly probably stands out the most to me.”

2022 saw 14 players commit to the Order of Merit, how do you think that affected the event?

“It was brilliant to see, and hugely positive for the Tour. Of course, the 6 of us from 2021 had a slight advantage in understanding the routine etc. but it wasn’t long before it was hard to remember a 7-man field for the Order of Merit.

The Tour’s ability to host a field like this speaks volumes and the increased field created even greater competition for places. It really meant you had to turn up and turn on every event.”

We’re going to take you back to the beginning, March 20th and the St Andrews Open. You won that tournament with a 3 over par round what’s your reflections now?

“It was cold.

I can still remember those last few holes and how cold everyone looked as they came down the stretch.

I remember hitting the opening shot of 2022, and it was a straight pull left, not the best start! But my game was probably okay at best, I never really took control of that event and in the end, it was a 17th hole collapse, this time form Barry Cunningham, that created such a comfortable winning margin.”

After you won the St Andrews Open you won the Dodhead Invitational then finished 3rd at Mearns Castle how was the mood at that point of the season?

“Having the two wins under my belt was a surprise, so it did feel good. After finishing 3rd at Aberdour I was pretty happy – the entire field was blown out the water by Gowens’ debut, so hanging tough and collecting the 900 points was a good result.”

You mentioned Paul Gowens’ debut, he carded a 7-under par 60 in his first ever EuroDov Tour event, what was your recollections of that event?

“There was a lot of people asking ‘who Paul Gowens was’ after that for sure. His game is so consistent, and his attitude is first class, so it was no surprise to see him make such a splash in his first event.

There was a lot of people trying to work out the math over lost points pretty quickly.”

After your third-place finish at Aberdour you went on to finish 2nd in the Invitational and lift your 8th major at the EuroDov Cup. When you returned to the Order of Merit in June you would win the Kinghorn Classic and finish T5th at the Kings Cup talk us through that period?

“I don’t think I hid my disappointment on missing out on the Career Grand Slam at the Invitational, but Andy Love played brilliantly to his credit and under tough conditions, so I have no grumbles there.

The EuroDov Cup was another brilliant edition of the event and after 56 holes it came down to a 7-foot putt and a 6-foot putt. I was equally delighted and devastated with my win because it felt like I pulled the rug from under Kev’s (Brannan) feet with an up and down from the steep greenside bunker.

Kinghorn was tough, the field struggle their before they’ve even teed off so I knew I had an edge, but the wind was unbelievable. I was just relieved to get out the wind at the end of the day.

The less said about the Kings Cup the better, less than optimal preparations saw my round grind to a halt around 13 and I never really recovered.”

You entered August with 1550 points cushion over Stuart Allan in second, you arrived at the Forrester Open @ Lochgelly sporting a forearm injury – that many in the field questioned – and you shot a 3-under par round to lift the trophy. How did that feel?

“It was probably the most complete performance I put in all season. From tee to green I was in absolute control of my game, and it was a great day’s work.”

As the Tour Championships loomed you had a cushion of 1850 points and although it was mathematically possible, your chances of losing the Order of Merit were slim to none. How do you approach an event in that position?

“Well, it was obviously very different from 2021, where I was chasing Denis Duncan. However, I love playing Links golf, I know I can play well on it so I went into it as I always did, play your game, play well and don’t worry about the rest of the field.

I suppose the outcome of not winning the Tour Championships was a little bit disappointing because I had no pressure on me and didn’t quite deliver the performance I had hoped for.”

As 2022 comes to a close, your Order of Merit season finished with your first defeat on a links course, does that sour the celebrations?

“Not in the slightest. Of course, it is great to be so dominant over links courses, but the reality is the job is to finish top of the Order of Merit and if I can achieve that then that is all the success I need.”

What’s your reflections over the year, what stands out for you?

“Personally, I played some very good golf. The Order of Merit is a real test of golf for me, it isn’t won or lost in one event and given the chasm between myself and the field in terms of handicapping it is an even greater challenge.

Winning four events this year is something really special, and something that probably won’t ever be repeated.

However, the real winner was the Tour and the format. The fact we all arrived at the Tour Championships with so much to play for shows the format works and the increased field in 2022 really made the event much better.”

There has been rumours that the 2022 Order of Merit might be your last for now? Can you expand on that?

“It’s been a long season with so many highs, and with the RyDov Cup just around the corner I am not sure this is the time or place to be talking about rumours.

I am looking forward to appearing in the RyDov Cup and hopefully doing my bit to support Team Baxter retain the Cup and I’ll take the off-season to look at my Tour commitments for 2023.”

With you or without you in the field in 2023, what story lines do you think are waiting for us?

“Well Paul Gowens has to be the number 1 storyline for 2023. Can he sustain his form? If he played the first two events of the year, might the Champion Golfer of the Year be someone else? I think we’ll all be watching closely on that one.

Stuart Allan is another interesting story line. He finished second in the OoM in 2022 without ever winning an event. He’s won before and he’ll win again so definitely one to watch.”

It was a marquee year for McColgan in the 2022 Order of Merit. Successful defences of the St Andrews Open and Kinghorn Classic partnered with wins in the Dodhead Invitational and Forrester Open @ Lochgelly all but guaranteed McColgan the moniker of Champion Golfer of the Year for 2022.

However his consistency cross the season, never dropping out of the Top-5 across 7 events is what delivered him the James Braid Quaich and whether he appears in the OoM in 2023 or not, his 2022 season will go down as one of the greatest in EuroDov Tour history.

We give you the EuroDov Tour 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year, David McColgan.