Elliot Saltman sets his sights on Spey title

"I had to make a decision by five o'clock yesterday (Tuesday]," said Saltman, before heading out to play in a curtailed pro-am on a gloomy day on the outskirts of Aviemore. "They (the European Tour] phoned me back and said you can travel as first reserve or pull out and play in Scotland. I spoke to Lloyd and the draw had been done, so there was no point in going all the way over there and stand about. The chances were I wasn't going to get in and I didn't want to miss out on the chance to play on the Challenge Tour. This is quite a big event and at least I know I'm playing."

While the Aviemore event has produced Scottish winners two years running - Jamie McLeary in 2009 and George Murray 12 months ago - it is just as notable for the fact talented Italian duo Edoardo Molinari and Matteo Manassero both played in it before going on to taste success on the European Tour.

This week's field is headed by two-time European Tour winner Marc Warren and includes the likes of former Ryder Cup players Peter Baker and Paul Broadhurst as well as emerging talents in Sam Hutsby, Tommy Fleetwood, Chris Paisley and Laurie Canter.

Saltman, still on a high after the two holes-in-one at Celtic Manor that helped him secure a career-best finish of 12th place in the recent Wales Open, and Warren revealed they mean business in the 196,000 event which, it was announced yesterday, will be sponsored by Scottish Hydro and held at Macdonald Spey Valley until 2014.

"I've not been holing as many putts as I would like but ball-striking wise I feel it's only a matter of time," said Saltman, who has reverted to a normal putting grip from the two-thumb method he's used since the Open Championship almost two years ago. "Before Wales I decided to change my attitude and I am now coming out to win. Before I was just turning up and seeing how I would get on."

His attitude to playing short holes has also changed on the back of those two aces in the same event, the amazing feat earning him a stay in the Presidential Suite at Celtic Manor, which he has pencilled in for the week of the Open as a treat for fiancee Nicola, though that will have to be put on hold if he qualifies for Royal St George's. "I used to just play safe," he added.

"Now I say 'where's the pin?' and just go for it."

Warren won 307,000 for his triumph in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2007, the year he also joined forces with Colin Montgomerie to win the World Cup, but is back on the Challenge Tour after losing his card for the main circuit at the end of last season.

The 30-year-old has been boosted by an invitation to play in the Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in a fortnight and also gets into the Scandinavian Masters two weeks later as a former winner of that event. "I'm still trying to get an invite for France next week and I'm an honorary member at Killarney, which is staging the Irish Open, so it would be nice to get into that as well. That would give me a nice run of events - big ones as well," he said.

Warren finished 20th in both the Joburg Open and Dubai Desert Classic on the main Tour but has slipped to 167th in the Race to Dubai, admitting he has found it more difficult than he imagined flitting between the two circuits.

"Events like this are fine as it feels like a proper tournament but some of places you go to are lacking a bit of atmosphere," he said. "When you are pulling your own trolley and stuff like that it is so hard to get into tournament mode.

"I've been concentrating on changing my swing and I've probably gotten away from what I do best, which is having the will to win. This week is a chance to win and so, too, is Castle Stuart."