Peebles’ Craig hopes to play away at the home of golf

The Peebles player turned in another impressive show in last weekend’s rain-curtailed Italian Challenge Open in Agrate Conturbia.

He was part of a bunch who finished reasonably high up on 208, five strokes behind the winner, Hurly Long, when the contest was halted after 54 holes because of poor weather.

Challenge Tour player Craig, 26, is on the reserve list for a European Tour contest in St Andrews next week, for which he hopes to qualify or be invited.

He added he’d be ready to go if he gained entry to other European Tour events in the weeks ahead.

The decision to abandon the Italian event was frustrating but correct, he said, because of the wetness of the course and the lack of daylight.

“I had a good first round which kind of gave me a chance and put me up the leaderboard,” he said. “I was a little bit disappointed with how I played over the last two rounds to give myself a real chance of winning.”

“I felt it was an opportunity.I was in a good position and the golf course kind of suited me, so I was a wee bit disappointed not to kind of push on into contention.

“But still, another solid week and something to build on.”