Graham braced for memorable seven days

Campbeltown Airport firefighter Jamie Graham will tee up for the most important round of golf he has ever played just days before welcoming the latest addition to his young family.

The 39-year-old will play alongside his Machrihanish PGA Professional Ken Campbell, above, in the Lombard Trophy regional final at Crieff on June 12, where at stake is a place in the final over the King’s Course at Gleneagles.

The tournament, which carries a total prize fund of £80,000, is the largest pro-am in Europe and will be the biggest golf event he has ever played in.

“I was really shocked to win the club qualifier,” said Graham, who plays off a handicap of 18. “But I’m absolutely delighted to have made it, it will be a really good experience and a chance to play a course that I’ve never been to before.

“Obviously we’re going to go there to try to give a good show and win, but in the end I’m just aiming to go out and do the best I can.

“You do feel that you want to help your pro do well, and that will definitely be something I’ll be thinking about when we’re out there on the course.”

Less than a week after the regional final Graham is expecting the birth of his second child, capping a dream week for the dedicated father who has lived in Campbeltown his entire life.

“It will be a challenge,” he said, “but a nice challenge and one that I’m really looking forward to.

“It’s going to be a mad couple of weeks but I can’t wait.”

Graham, whose brother was a green keeper at the world famous St Andrews, has had a passion for golf since he was young.

But he admits that his desire to play has only grown stronger since completing his training as a firefighter seven years ago.

“When I was younger I lived literally two minutes away from my nearest course, so it was only natural that I would go there to play,” he said.

“A few years ago I did go through a spell where I struggled to find as much time to play as I would have liked, but since training as a firefighter I have been playing most Saturdays.

“Most of the lads are golfers and it’s something that everyone is always talking about, so that alone just encourages you to go out and play as much as you can.”

Other pairings competing in the Crieff regional final include: Craig Montgomerie and Neil Beaumont (a) (Roxburghe), Stephen Rennie and Mark Bonella (a) (Brechin), Craig Everett and James Anderson (a) (Caldwell), Keith Baxter and Stuart Simmers (a) (Buchanan Castle), and Allan Knox and Steven Smith (a) (King James VI).