IT'S not been a happy time for the PGA Tour. The Ryder Cup has been lost, the Majors are being dominated by European players who are determined to stay on their side of the pond and the travails of Tiger Woods have cast a huge shadow.

RICHIE Ramsay’s life changed forever in December 209 when the young Scot won his first European Tour event in the South African Open.

Fast forward 12 months and professionals can make a significant impact in the standings, and give themselves an early Christmas present, with positive results before the year’s final putt is holed.

The odds on Ramsay repeating his success are worth investigating after a solid season with good results in big-money fixtures such as the WGC-Champions event in China earlier this year.

WHILE we in the UK shiver, Africa smiles in the sunshine and the very best of European Tour golfers will have the opportunity to get their season off to a flying start in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December.

Defending champion Pablo Martin won the title in 2010 at Leopard Creek, earning a near three-year Tour exemption for his win which highlights how important it is to get the season off to a positive start.

Italian teenager Matteo Manassero became the youngest winner on the European Tour when he won the Castello Masters in southern Spain in October. Now the challenge is to transform that form into the events which matter most.

His place in the history books assured, the 17-year-old will now look to cement his unique berth in the standings with positive results for the remainder of this season’s golfing fixtures, before launching a sustained bid for major wins in 2011.