HIS record in the Majors may well read played three, missed the cut three times, but Hampshire’s Scott Gregory believes he has improved beyond recognition in the 12 months since his victory in the British Amateur at Royal Porthcawl.

The anniversary of his triumph over Scotland’s Robert McIntyre falls on Saturday, and the 22-year-old, who played on the PGA Tour for the first time last month, thanks to an invitation from Jack Nicklaus, as well as making his European Tour debut in the British Masters in the autumn, took time before travelling back to the UK to take stock of his progress over the last year.

Scott missed the cut by two shots at Erin Hills on Friday after rounds of 75 and 73, but still managed to beat former World No 1 Jason Day’s total by seven shots and was one better than four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy.

He said: “I have learned from these experiences that my British Amateur win has given me and feel I’m an incredibly better player now than this time last year.

“I have experiences that a lot of my peers don’t and have inside knowledge from the tour that I have used to better my game and approach.

“I’ve been unable to make the mark I wanted in these tournaments, which is a massive disappointment. But I think I have shown I’m close to being able to mix it with the very best.”

One of the things Scott and his coach – the Portsmouth Golf Centre’s Simon Andrews – will be working on is the Corhampton player’s slow starts in the three professional events he has played in 2017.

“For the second tournament running, in the highest quality of fields at Erin Hills and Muirfield Village, I was two under for my last 27 holes. A slow start to both first rounds has cost me and that is something that Simon and myself are going to be looking at.”

Gregory, who is now No 5 in the World Amateur Rankings, added: “On a positive note, my putting has been great, gaining strokes in almost every round I have played on tour.

“My short game has also held up well, with my pitching improving massively since Augusta in April. I’m getting up and down from 50 to 120 yards – nearly double the amount I was two months ago.”

Gregory now has some big tournaments on the horizon, including the European Amateur at Walton Heath later this month, which carries an exemption into the Open at Royal Birkdale for the winner.

He will also be waiting for the six-man team for the European Team Championship in Austria to be announced, after this week’s British Amateur at Royal St George’s.

ANDREW GRIFFIN