We’ve unpacked the suitcases, spent a night in our own bed and are now ready to file our copy after the opening of the 2024 season at the third Open de Cascais, and the EuroDov Cup.

It was a great event with so many storylines and battles all over the leaderboard coming down the stretch. In the end it all came down to the final putt of the tournament, a make or break putt that would have seen a first time Major winner had it missed, and an 11 time Major winner if it dropped.

Thankfully for McColgan the putt hit dead centre of the cup and he had his hands on the EuroDov Cup once more.

We sat down with him after the win to get his reactions.

David, you sit here today winner of the 2024 EuroDov Cup and your 11th Major how does it feel?

“Hi guys, I am delighted to be here, and such fine surroundings.”

Come on then you’ve won the EuroDov Cup, the season opening tournament and your 11th Major, what do you have to say?

“Do you know what it’s great to get the win, and it’s great to get it so early in the season, but I do feel like I was the last man standing after that finish.

Playing with Paul Gowens and being 5 behind with 5 holes to play I didn’t think I had a chance.”

Well, let’s chat about Gowens quickly before we get back to your week.

“Look, I am sure the boys are all going to tell you the same thing, but his performances this week have been nothing but exceptional.

To think a year ago he was off Tour, receiving quite aggressive medical treatment and now he’s leading the EuroDov Cup for 52 holes, it’s mental.

I have no doubt he’s going to lift a trophy this season, and it might be more than 1.”

Well let’s get back to you for now and we can cover off the dramatic finish at Penha Longa later. How did you find the courses out there?

“I think the EuroDov Tour put on the best rota for the Cup ever. Quinta da Marinha is a firm, fast and challenging course, with trees ready to thwart you at the slightest of errors.

Oitavous Dunes was like golfing heaven, lush firm fairways with devilish greens, so fast it was like putting on ice.

And Penha Longa is like a picture postcard of a golfing holiday. Lush fairways, receptive greens and just a great golfing challenge at every turn.”

You got a while to get going on day 1, hanging in there until a birdie on 15 then another on 18, what was going through your mind at that point?

“Day one is always tough, your coming of winter conditions in Scotland and heading to arguably Summer conditions, so there’s always a bit of a learning curve. The birdie on 15 came just at the right time, as I was battling a few poor holes and then 18 felt like everything clicked perfectly.”

On the 1st hole of day 2 you snap hooked your drive in to the trees and luckily found it, but let’s talk about the next 17 holes, you didn’t miss a single fairway all day, that had to feel good?

“Look the snap hook off 1 put the fear into me, but after finding the tight fairways on 2 and 4 I was pretty confident. From there on in I felt like I just knew where the ball was going.

I must admit though whilst the driver was working the approach play wasn’t the best, I could match the fairways found with greens in regulation, but I can’t be too picky.”

Talk us through your 2 on the 14th Par 3?

“I kind of lost it a bit didn’t I?

It was a challenging par 3, 155 into the wind and about 120 yards of carry over a ravine. I hit a 7 iron up the left but didn’t cut it back and was lying pin high just off the green.

It was a down slope and there wasn’t any margin for error with a wedge in hand, so I opted for the putter and with 6 feet to go it was destined for the hole.

Threw the putter, let out a shout and a high five with Stuarty…maybe just let some steam off from a few frustrating earlier holes.

Credit to Stuarty though, after my screaming and shouting he stepped up and rolled his in for 2 right behind me!”

You arrived at Penha Longa one shot behind Gowens and in the same group, having played it previously and Gowens not you must have thought this was an advantage?

“You’d think so, but Paul didn’t miss a fairway till the 8th hole and even at that he was only a foot off it.

I knew what I needed to do, where I wanted to place the ball and it was up to me to control that. But when you are watching Gowens hit 12 out 14 fairways that definitely negates any advantage.”

Let’s look at that final round. Gowens birdied the 2nd to stretch his lead to 2 then a double from you on 3 increased it to 4, what was going through your mind at that point?

“I was disappointed really. I started well, learned a few lessons from 2023, but I hit a lazy drive up 3 and resulted in a lost ball.

Gowens was settling in for his steady eddie impression and doing it well.”

You bogeyed the par 3 5th and the lead was 5.

“I mean I felt there was a lot of golf to play, but more worryingly there was a lot of air between him and now.”

Gowens bogeyed 7 and 10 and the lead was 3 and then on 11 you had 134 yards into the wind, talk us through that shot?

“Well I had slightly ran through the fairway, and I was sitting with a hard wind in to off the left. It suited my shot shape and I felt like I had the measure of the shot. I hit a high cutty 7 and it flew exactly how I wanted it to. When it came to rest just 2 feet from the pin it was a great opportunity to close the gap to 2.”

You took that opportunity as well but then Gowens ran off an eagle and a birdie to extend his lead to 5. Talk us through that?

“Well firstly let’s talk about his 7-iron into 12, only moments early Green had chipped in for a birdie then Gowens stiffs a 7-iron from 140 to 4 inches (if that) and taps in for the eagle. I was standing in the bunker in disbelief.

He then sinks a 20 footer on 13 like it was just a tap in. Talk about a sucker punch.”

You and Gowens were over heard on the 14th tee and you said to him “when you look back at how you won your first major, those two holes are the moment you won it.” Did you believe it?

“100% he was playing unbelievably.

What most people didn’t hear, was Gowens saying to me that he’d swung his last swing and was feeling the effects of 3 days of golf, and as it transpired, he was right.”

Gowens would card 2 doubles, a triple and bogey to finish, that must have been hard to watch?

“Look I want to win tournaments, not just outlast the opposition and I was willing Paul just a few more swings to get home, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Let’s get to the last hole, because you did your best to give it back to Paul. You had a 1 shot lead on the 18th tee, Gowens had sent it down the middle, you then stepped up and duck hooked it left and had to take a provisional. What’s going through your mind?

“Firstly, I hope I find one of them, because my provisional was sent left as well.”

You have to play your provisional and you find yourself short of the green in 5 and Gowens is chipping on for 5 as well. Talk us through the last moments?

“Well Paul was clearly tiring and his concentration saw him drop one in the bunker, however his bunker play had been great all day and he lifted it out to about 25 feet. He rolled his 2nd putt in for a 6.

My approach shot was about 8 feet from the pin, slight down hill left to right swing.

I stalked my putt more than I had done all week, mainly because I was trying to do the math. I could work out if I had the putt to win, or to tie, and as I stepped up to the ball I murmured “no point in leaving this short”
and as it left my putter it was dead centre of the cup and in for the win.”

Did you have a flash back to the 2022 EuroDov Cup where you did the same to Kevin Brannan?

“It was discussed in the clubhouse afterwards, however what I would say is at least I putted first in 2022, the nerves of the last putt of the whole tournament, and it was the difference between winning and losing, that isn’t an easy position to be in.”

Now the tournament is in the bag what does 2024 look like?

“Better than 2023 anyway, at least I won’t need to wait till June for my first win.”

And can we ask about the Invitational?

“You can.”

It’s the last piece of the Major jigsaw for your, it’s surely your focus for 2024?

“I won’t deny it’s an itch I’d like scratched. But it’s only my focus until the final putt is in and come what may I’ll focus on something else.”

There has been lot’s of chat about your Order of Merit participation, some rumours that you’ll play a severely limited schedule, do you care to expand on that?

“Not right now guys, I am going to enjoy this win, enjoy the night with the guys and we’ll worry about that later.”

Well there we have it guys David McColgan scoops his 11th Major on Tour and whilst he is jubilant in his win, one can’t help feel he might have wished a different headline being reported.