European Challenge Tour Grand Final

SOLID START BY McARTHUR AND
DRYSDALE AT SAN DOMENICO

From Michael Gibbons, Challenge Tour Press Officer
(mgibbons@europeantour.com)

Scotland’s Andrew McArthur and David Drysdale produced solid opening rounds at the European Challenge Tour’s Apulia San Domenico Grand Final to keep their hopes alive of winning a place on next year’s European Tour.
McArthur (pictured right), currently 26th on the Challenge Tour rankings and in need of a top five finish to secure his European Tour card as one of the Challenge Tour’s top 20, posted a two-under-par 69 to trail leader Rafael Echenique of Argentina by four strokes.
Drysdale, one behind his countryman with a 70, needs to finish in the top two to leap into the all important top 20 at this, the last event of the Challenge Tour season where the top 45 players on the rankings battle for the 20 European Tour cards on offer.
While Drysdale does his best to concentrate on the Challenge Tour Grand Final, he will find it impossible not keep an eye on the Mallorca Classic, the final event of the European Tour season for the players trying to hold on to their cards for next season by finishing in the top 115 on the Order of Merit.
The Dunbar tour professional is currently 114th on that money list but was unable to secure entry to the Mallorcan event and is therefore unable to defend his European Tour position.
Leading scores in the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final:
Par 71.
65 R Echenique (Arg).
66 F Aguilar (Chile).
67 M Pilkington (Wal), A Quiros (Spa), H Rey (Arg), S P Webster (Eng).
Other scores:
68 S Walker (Eng) (jt 7th).
69 J Heath (Eng), J Hepworth (Eng), M Higley (Eng), A McArthur (Sco) (jt 11th).
70 D Drysdale (Sco), D Lucas (Eng) (jt 22nd).