Glasgow golfer Ewen Ferguson has been enjoying life in the fast lane of the European Tour so far this week as he prepares to make his pro debut in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship but the Bearsden rookie knows it’s a long road to the top.

The former Walker Cup player, who took the professional plunge last month, has been handed a great opportunity to shine on home soil with an invitation to the lucrative Pro-Am affair which boasts a prize fund of almost £4 million.

Ferguson, who enjoyed a practice round with Masters champion Danny Willett yesterday, made a solid start to life in the paid ranks by successfully coming through stage one of the European Tour’s qualifying school recently.

The cut-and-thrust of main Tour competition at the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns this week will provide a stern challenge but now that he is playing for money, the former British Boys’ champ is trying to keep his eyes off the prize and simply focus on his game.

He said: “I’m not really thinking about the money side of things. It’s a long road to the top in this game and I just want to learn as much as I can this week.

“Being in this kind of environment is what I’ve wanted to be in for a long time and I want to embrace it and enjoy it.

“You see a lot of guys turning pro and changing things that they have been doing. But if it’s been working for you so far then hopefully it will come together if you keep working on the same things.”

At the age of 20, Ferguson is just four years younger than Belgium’s rising star Thomas Pieters, the 24-year-old from Antwerp who made a big impact in last weekend’s Ryder Cup.

In an era of young guns coming out on to the Tour and hitting the ground running, Ferguson is well aware of the demands of the pro game.

He has already had a taste of competition on the the second-tier Challenge Tour when he was an amateur and his experienced compatriot, Stephen Gallacher, reckons that can stand him in good stead.

Gallacher, the 2004 Dunhill Links champ, said: “The strength in depth is massive now but getting experience of pro events is a big thing. Getting a chance to play on the Challenge Tour is massive for these kids and I think they are much better equipped to turn pro.”