Golf: Russell in a rush to be in the big time

Lothians ace Raymond Russell is still on course to return to the European Tour - two years ahead of schedule.

The Prestonpans pro, 38, was teeing-up in the opening round of the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final in Italy today aiming to gatecrash the top 20 on the Challenge Tour rankings and earn promotion back to the big time. Russell, a winner on the main circuit in the Cannes Open in 1996, has endured a tough time since undergoing an operation on a niggling shoulder injury at the end of 2006.

But the former World Cup player, who finished fourth in the 1998 Open at Birkdale, has slowly worked his way back up through the ranks and is aiming for one last push on Italian soil over the next four days.

Russell, a winner on the third-tier Alps Tour this season, has racked up two second-place finishes on the Challenge Tour in 2010 and sits 21st on the money-list, with the top 20 after this week's event earning a card for the European circuit.

"The target was to be there (on the European Tour] by 2012, before I'm 40," said Russell, who is around 1,500 short of the all-important leading 20.

"Time is short, but I'm tired of excuses. I had the operation on my shoulder in November 2006. I've had plenty of time for my game to come on. It's not been easy but I can either let it bother me and whine about how I should be higher up the ladder, or accept where I am and set targets to get me back to where I would rather be."

Russell was being joined in the 45-man field in Italy by fellow Scots George Murray and Scott Jamieson, both of whom sit comfortably in the promotion places.

Edinburgh-based Jamie McLeary, the winner of last year's Scottish Hydro Challenge, is 33rd on the rankings and needs a final flourish to earn his main tour card.