Final European Tour Qualifying School
O'Hara's pain in Spain is still his putting ...
FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Nick Rodger
Steven O'Hara's perennial problems with his putter continue in Spain but the Scot still hauled himself to the fringes of the top 10 during the second round of the European Tour's qualifying school final at a gusty PGA Golf de Catalunya near Girona in North-east Spain.
The 29-year-old from Motherwell harnessed the testing conditions on the Stadium course and carved out a two-under par 70 for a four-under 138 to share 12th place behind English duo Simon Khan and Charlie Ford, who lead the race for 30 tour cards on offer with 11-under 131s.
O'Hara, who lost his tour place after dropping to 151st on the money list, was one of the European circuit's most accurate golfers this past season, finishing fourth on the greens in regulation statistics. His putts per round figures made for dire reading, however, with the former Scottish Amateur champion finishing bottom of the rankings.
"I played some brilliant stuff today but as usual it was the same old story with the putting," said O'Hara after countering two dropped shots with a bag of four birdies. "That's been the problem all year and it can get frustrating. I had birdie chances at almost every hole and even missed a couple of putts from barely two feet. But the windy conditions made it tough and I was rewarded for my approach play."
Scott Drummond finished the day alongside O'Hara after a one-under 69 on the shorter Tour course but the 2004 PGA champion was left cursing a trio of late bogeys at 15, 16 and 17. Stephen Gallacher, the former Dunhill Links champion who is making his golfing comeback this week after four months on the sidelines with a viral infection, slipped to a two-over 72 for 140.
Andrew Oldcorn, the winner of the Q-school back in 1983 and the oldest player in this year's field at 49, showed he is still up for the challenge with a 68 for his 140 total while former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart hit a battling one-under 71 on the Stadium course for a 142.
English 1-2-3-4 after 36 holes of Final Q School
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
English starlet Charlie Ford and his more experienced compatriot Simon Khan grabbed the lead on Day 2 of the Qualifying School – Final Stage with respective rounds of 64 and 63.
Despite blustery conditions at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain, the two Englishmen tamed the Tour course to move to 11 under par 131 and open up a two-shot lead over their fellow countryman Jamie Elson, who signed for a round of 65.
Leicester lad Ford, who recently returned from the States, where he had studied at the University of Tennessee, joined the professional ranks with a handicap of +4. But, having already successfully negotiated the First and Second Stages earlier in the autumn, he is on course to finish the year with a cherished European Tour card in his hand.
The 24 year old, who won the 2008 Hawaii Intercollegiate and was also a member of last year’s European Palmer Cup students' team, would have grabbed the outright lead, were it not for bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes.
But Ford was still pleased with a round of 64 which included nine birdies, and also featured a large slice of luck on the second hole.
He explained: “I played pretty well all day, and made most of my putts. It was great to get off to a good start with a birdie on the first. I then got lucky on the second, where I hit a tree and it bounced out to about four feet of the flagstick. So although I still made a bogey, it could’ve been a lot worse. But I played really well for the rest of the front nine.
"I just kept it in play, hit it pretty close and made a few putts – on the first 14 holes, I made pretty much everything. I was slightly disappointed with the two bogeys at the end, but overall I’ve got to be very pleased with the position I’m in and how I’m playing.”
Unlike his younger compatriot, Khan has a wealth of Qualifying School experience, having made two successful previous visits to the Final Stage. After a season of struggle on The European Tour which saw him finish 127th in The Race to Dubai, he has adopted a more positive approach in recent weeks.
Khan said: “What I’ve done well is to manage my game better, and learn to accept the bad shots. I’ve been more sensible – if I have to chip out, I’ve just concentrated on minimising the damage, so to speak. I think over the last few weeks, I’ve just had a much better attitude to playing.
"I think all year you try to go out and shoot low scores, but it didn’t happen for me. But over the last few days and really towards the end of the year, I’ve just thought that whatever comes comes, and as long as I do my job I’m happy.
“It’s a long week, and you have to pace yourself in terms of practice and stuff. It’s been seven years since I was last here, and I must admit that in the early part of the week, it was a bit of a shock. I was mentally ready to play at the start of the week, but the realisation really hits you when you arrive at Q School.
"But the ball and the club don’t know you’re at Q School, so you’ve just got to go out and hit the shots to the best of your ability. That’s what I’ve been doing – accepting that whatever happens, happens.”
Fellow Englishman Elson is making his fourth attempt at the Qualifying School, and is looking to restore some confidence after dropping down to the EuroPro Tour for the past three seasons. Elson, who eagled the seventh hole en route to his round of 65, said: “I’m now feeling much more confident after two good rounds – and I played well at the Second Stage too, so more of the same would be great.”
Yet another Englishman, Sam Walker, is a further shot back in third place after a superb round of 64. Walker narrowly missed out on promotion to The European Tour through the Challenge Tour Rankings, but is hoping to lay claim to one of the 30 cards on offer this week.
He said: “I’ve just played the par-5s well and birdied the last for a great finish, which keeps the momentum going and is a bit of a boost going into tomorrow. On the whole it was a lot harder today.
"It was difficult to work out the right clubs because of the wind, so you were just playing for the safety shot most of the time and hoping to hole a few putts. Fortunately I managed to take most of my chances.”
Overnight leader Julien Guerrier of France found life somewhat tougher on the more demanding Stadium course, having opened up with a round of 60 on the shorter Tour course. His round of 75 moved him back to a share of fifth place on seven under par alongside Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin, who signed for a round of 69.
Guerrier, the 2006 British amateur championship winner, said: “On the first nine I had no birdies at all, so it was difficult to keep under par. My long game was not very good at all today, but my short game was much better. Without my short game, I could’ve been ten over par today, so it saved me.
“I found it difficult to turn the page after my round yesterday. Everyone was congratulating me, and it was hard to start again. It’s not a bad score though – looking at the other scores, I’m probably average if not better on this course. There’s a long way to go though – even ten under par is probably not safe.”
Indeed, with four rounds remaining, there is still everything to play for.
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (72+70)
131 Charlie Ford (Eng) 67 64, Simon Khan (Eng) 68 63.
133 Jamie Elson (Eng) 68 65.
134 Sam Walker (Eng) 70 64.
135 Julien Guerrier (Fra) 60 75, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 66 69.
136 Lasse Jensen (Den) 64 72, Gary Murphy (Ire) 69 67, Marco Soffietti (Ita) 72 64.
137 Patrick Sjoland (Swe) 72 65, Alessandra Tadini (Ita) 68 69.
Selected scores
138 Philip Archer (Eng) 68 709, Scott Drummond (Sco) 69 69, Steven O'Hara (Sco) 68 70(jt 12th).
140 Stephen Gallacher (Sco) 68 72, Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 72 68 (tied 35th).
142 Andrew Coltart (Sco) 71 71 (jt 65th).
143 Callum Macaulay (Sco) 70 73, George Murray (Sco) 73 70 (jt 75th).
145 Greig Hutcheon (Sco) 73 72, Eric Ramsay (Carnoustie) 72 73 (jt 106th).
146 Jamie McLearie (Sco) 72 74 (jt 116th).
147 Alan McLean (Sco) 76 71 (jt 126th).
FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Nick Rodger
Steven O'Hara's perennial problems with his putter continue in Spain but the Scot still hauled himself to the fringes of the top 10 during the second round of the European Tour's qualifying school final at a gusty PGA Golf de Catalunya near Girona in North-east Spain.
The 29-year-old from Motherwell harnessed the testing conditions on the Stadium course and carved out a two-under par 70 for a four-under 138 to share 12th place behind English duo Simon Khan and Charlie Ford, who lead the race for 30 tour cards on offer with 11-under 131s.
O'Hara, who lost his tour place after dropping to 151st on the money list, was one of the European circuit's most accurate golfers this past season, finishing fourth on the greens in regulation statistics. His putts per round figures made for dire reading, however, with the former Scottish Amateur champion finishing bottom of the rankings.
"I played some brilliant stuff today but as usual it was the same old story with the putting," said O'Hara after countering two dropped shots with a bag of four birdies. "That's been the problem all year and it can get frustrating. I had birdie chances at almost every hole and even missed a couple of putts from barely two feet. But the windy conditions made it tough and I was rewarded for my approach play."
Scott Drummond finished the day alongside O'Hara after a one-under 69 on the shorter Tour course but the 2004 PGA champion was left cursing a trio of late bogeys at 15, 16 and 17. Stephen Gallacher, the former Dunhill Links champion who is making his golfing comeback this week after four months on the sidelines with a viral infection, slipped to a two-over 72 for 140.
Andrew Oldcorn, the winner of the Q-school back in 1983 and the oldest player in this year's field at 49, showed he is still up for the challenge with a 68 for his 140 total while former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart hit a battling one-under 71 on the Stadium course for a 142.
English 1-2-3-4 after 36 holes of Final Q School
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
English starlet Charlie Ford and his more experienced compatriot Simon Khan grabbed the lead on Day 2 of the Qualifying School – Final Stage with respective rounds of 64 and 63.
Despite blustery conditions at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain, the two Englishmen tamed the Tour course to move to 11 under par 131 and open up a two-shot lead over their fellow countryman Jamie Elson, who signed for a round of 65.
Leicester lad Ford, who recently returned from the States, where he had studied at the University of Tennessee, joined the professional ranks with a handicap of +4. But, having already successfully negotiated the First and Second Stages earlier in the autumn, he is on course to finish the year with a cherished European Tour card in his hand.
The 24 year old, who won the 2008 Hawaii Intercollegiate and was also a member of last year’s European Palmer Cup students' team, would have grabbed the outright lead, were it not for bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes.
But Ford was still pleased with a round of 64 which included nine birdies, and also featured a large slice of luck on the second hole.
He explained: “I played pretty well all day, and made most of my putts. It was great to get off to a good start with a birdie on the first. I then got lucky on the second, where I hit a tree and it bounced out to about four feet of the flagstick. So although I still made a bogey, it could’ve been a lot worse. But I played really well for the rest of the front nine.
"I just kept it in play, hit it pretty close and made a few putts – on the first 14 holes, I made pretty much everything. I was slightly disappointed with the two bogeys at the end, but overall I’ve got to be very pleased with the position I’m in and how I’m playing.”
Unlike his younger compatriot, Khan has a wealth of Qualifying School experience, having made two successful previous visits to the Final Stage. After a season of struggle on The European Tour which saw him finish 127th in The Race to Dubai, he has adopted a more positive approach in recent weeks.
Khan said: “What I’ve done well is to manage my game better, and learn to accept the bad shots. I’ve been more sensible – if I have to chip out, I’ve just concentrated on minimising the damage, so to speak. I think over the last few weeks, I’ve just had a much better attitude to playing.
"I think all year you try to go out and shoot low scores, but it didn’t happen for me. But over the last few days and really towards the end of the year, I’ve just thought that whatever comes comes, and as long as I do my job I’m happy.
“It’s a long week, and you have to pace yourself in terms of practice and stuff. It’s been seven years since I was last here, and I must admit that in the early part of the week, it was a bit of a shock. I was mentally ready to play at the start of the week, but the realisation really hits you when you arrive at Q School.
"But the ball and the club don’t know you’re at Q School, so you’ve just got to go out and hit the shots to the best of your ability. That’s what I’ve been doing – accepting that whatever happens, happens.”
Fellow Englishman Elson is making his fourth attempt at the Qualifying School, and is looking to restore some confidence after dropping down to the EuroPro Tour for the past three seasons. Elson, who eagled the seventh hole en route to his round of 65, said: “I’m now feeling much more confident after two good rounds – and I played well at the Second Stage too, so more of the same would be great.”
Yet another Englishman, Sam Walker, is a further shot back in third place after a superb round of 64. Walker narrowly missed out on promotion to The European Tour through the Challenge Tour Rankings, but is hoping to lay claim to one of the 30 cards on offer this week.
He said: “I’ve just played the par-5s well and birdied the last for a great finish, which keeps the momentum going and is a bit of a boost going into tomorrow. On the whole it was a lot harder today.
"It was difficult to work out the right clubs because of the wind, so you were just playing for the safety shot most of the time and hoping to hole a few putts. Fortunately I managed to take most of my chances.”
Overnight leader Julien Guerrier of France found life somewhat tougher on the more demanding Stadium course, having opened up with a round of 60 on the shorter Tour course. His round of 75 moved him back to a share of fifth place on seven under par alongside Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin, who signed for a round of 69.
Guerrier, the 2006 British amateur championship winner, said: “On the first nine I had no birdies at all, so it was difficult to keep under par. My long game was not very good at all today, but my short game was much better. Without my short game, I could’ve been ten over par today, so it saved me.
“I found it difficult to turn the page after my round yesterday. Everyone was congratulating me, and it was hard to start again. It’s not a bad score though – looking at the other scores, I’m probably average if not better on this course. There’s a long way to go though – even ten under par is probably not safe.”
Indeed, with four rounds remaining, there is still everything to play for.
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (72+70)
131 Charlie Ford (Eng) 67 64, Simon Khan (Eng) 68 63.
133 Jamie Elson (Eng) 68 65.
134 Sam Walker (Eng) 70 64.
135 Julien Guerrier (Fra) 60 75, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 66 69.
136 Lasse Jensen (Den) 64 72, Gary Murphy (Ire) 69 67, Marco Soffietti (Ita) 72 64.
137 Patrick Sjoland (Swe) 72 65, Alessandra Tadini (Ita) 68 69.
Selected scores
138 Philip Archer (Eng) 68 709, Scott Drummond (Sco) 69 69, Steven O'Hara (Sco) 68 70(jt 12th).
140 Stephen Gallacher (Sco) 68 72, Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 72 68 (tied 35th).
142 Andrew Coltart (Sco) 71 71 (jt 65th).
143 Callum Macaulay (Sco) 70 73, George Murray (Sco) 73 70 (jt 75th).
145 Greig Hutcheon (Sco) 73 72, Eric Ramsay (Carnoustie) 72 73 (jt 106th).
146 Jamie McLearie (Sco) 72 74 (jt 116th).
147 Alan McLean (Sco) 76 71 (jt 126th).
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Sunday, November 29, 2009
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