Richie man, poor man

"Forty quid is forty quid," the 23-year-old points out. "It doesn't matter whether you're US Amateur champion or a 13-year-old kid playing off 15. Like everybody else I've got to make some money because although I get my expenses from the SGU, golf is not my whole life and you need money to pay for the other things.

"If I have to go and caddy for somebody I'll do it, so long as I've got the time. I'd rather be walking round a golf course than being stuck in an office."

Mickelson and Woods, who rank among the world's highest-paid sportsmen, will find such chat bemusing. But Ramsay knows his unexpected US Amateur win at Hazeltine last summer has afforded opportunities which, no matter the outcome, he will find life-enriching.

"I'm playing in the Masters with Phil Mickelson," he says. "I don't view it as a lifetime opportunity, I know it's a lifetime opportunity. It's never going to happen again so I've got to make the most of it. And as I'm thinking of turning professional at the end of the year I've got to chase a break in tournaments such as these to show I'm more than capable of competing with these guys on the world stage.

"As well as Phil Mickelson I've got the opportunity to play with people like Geoff Ogilvy and Tiger Woods later in the year. That's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life. It doesn't matter whether I go on to do great things in the future, or if it goes downhill. I can always look back and say I played with them, which not a lot of people can."

Ramsay flies to the United States a week tomorrow, and has a busy schedule ahead of him before the first round of the Masters on April 5. The itinerary includes the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, which will be his first professional tournament in America.

But despite the lure of the legendary Arnie, all early season roads lead to the Masters, and fabled Magnolia Drive. In recent years Augusta National has not been a happy hunting ground for British amateur golfers. The last one to make the cut was Peter McEvoy in 1978, albeit that none of them could claim to be the current US Amateur champion.

Accordingly, Ramsay has taken his preparations seriously and was accompanied by SGU national coach Ian Rae on a reconnaissance of the hallowed grounds this year.

"I played five rounds, and then nine holes three times," he says. "The first round I just took it in, played some shots and generally enjoyed it. The longer the week went on the more I wrote things down and made sure I went into detail about lines off the tees and where I should leave my shots - everything really. I made sure I covered every last thing and didn't leave anything to chance so that I can just go out and enjoy playing it in the first couple of rounds when the tournament starts."

As every first-time visitor to Augusta National notes, the back nine, and especially Amen Corner, are like stepping into a television set. The images are so familiar that only the sounds and smells seem like a new experience.

"Its great to walk round it," says Ramsay. "The greens were a bit softer because it rained before we arrived. They were still fast, but I was told nowhere near as fast as they will be on the week of the tournament. The other factor is the severe slopes on them, you have to be below the hole to give yourself a chance."

Ramsay is not the longest hitter off the tee, but for the first two rounds at Augusta he will have to watch Mickelson bomb the ball over 300 yards. Will that cause any problems?

"I'm not playing Phil Mickelson, I'm playing the course," he replies. "He's out to win the tournament and he is going to have his strategy and I am going to have mine. I've got to stick with what I know, and what is in my capabilities. I have to play to my strengths and make sure I don't hit any really destructive shots."

Pragmatism, as befits an Aberdonian, is clearly one of Ramsay's assets, and it comes to the fore again when he reveals that he won't stay for the full week in the clubhouse accommodation which is reserved for competing amateurs.

"I'll stay in the Crow's Nest for a couple of nights and then move to a hotel," he says. "It's very small, and there are five guys staying there. If somebody is snoring you're in big trouble and you're not getting much sleep. Much as you want the experience you've got to make sure you're comfortable in your environment so it's a case of getting the best of both worlds."

The attention that will focus on Ramsay at Augusta, and later at the US Open and Open Championship at Carnoustie, will also have benefits for Scottish amateur golf. That junior development, under the auspices of the SGU, is now in healthy shape was confirmed last week when sportscotland announced annual funding of £571,000 and the Dunfermline Building Society pitched in with a two-year £100,000 sponsorship.

Initiatives such as these look set to ensure there is a conveyer belt of Ramsays and Lloyd Saltmans in the future, and in return the US Amateur champion is only too happy to acknowledge the role played by the SGU in his success.

Ramsay, in fact, goes out of his way to seek advice from a variety of sources, including fellow Aberdonian Paul Lawrie, the last European to win a Major.

"He told me how the greens at Augusta can change quite rapidly from being fast to a lot quicker," says Ramsay of the 1999 Open champion. "He said I would have to get used to the crowds, but that the par-3 tournament held on the Wednesday would help my preparations with the noise and the incredible atmosphere."

The visit to Augusta, when members and staff were only too happy to answer his questions, also resolved the issue of who would be on Ramsay's bag at the Masters. He and Rae have opted for Jody Keepers, a local man who as well as knowing the course intimately has worked on the LPGA and Nationwide tours.

As an occasional bagman himself, Ramsay knows better than most the financial worth of an astute caddy. It has to be more than £40 a round at Augusta National, but happily for the Aberdonian's social life the SGU will foot the bill - and nor will they quibble if it's for a full week's work.