The long and costly road through

Qualifying School

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Away from the fuss over Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup wild card selections and the glitz and glamour of the money-spinning FedEx Cup Play-offs, the battle for spots on next season's European Tour got underway last week. Two Stage 1 events were held, one in England and the other in Portugal, with six more to come, including one at Dundonald Links, in the next couple of weeks.
Keir McNicoll, one of three Scots in the field, passed the test at The London Club and deserves credit for that. But he's still got a long way to go before reaching the promised land.
Stage 2 takes place at four venues in Spain at the end of November, with the final, a six-round marathon, being held just after that in Girona, at PGA Golf Catalunya.
In the region of 1,000 competitors enter the Qualifying School each year, all dreaming of making it on to the European Tour. Yet cards are only awarded to the top 30 and ties following the final stage. A player progressing through all three stages will not only have to play 252 holes but will have done so under the most intense pressure they've ever encountered.

It can be a life-changing experience. It can also be costly. The entry fee is a four-figure sum (£1,360) and players taking part in all of the phases are likely to run up some hefty expenses, particularly with a two-week stay in Spain included in the process. Even for the lucky 30 at the end of it all, the champagne can go flat very quickly.

The routes to venues on the European Tour may look as though they are paved with gold but not for everyone. Countless players have seen their dream quickly become a nightmare. Take Colin Brooks, for example. The former Scottish champion stepped on to the circuit with high hopes and rightly so.
Yet the experience proved a disaster, prompting Brooks to re-focus and embark on a career that, thankfully, has since seen him become one of Scotland's leading coaches.
For McNicoll, the dream is still alive and that will be a huge relief. This, after all, is what he's been building up for throughout the season. The same goes for those in next week's three-round event in Ayrshire, where the Scottish contingent is the usual hybrid affair.
Scott Henderson, a former European Tour rookie of the year, and his fellow Tartan Tour regulars, Chris Kelly, Jason McCreadie and Stephen Gray, have all been there and bought the t-shirt.
So, too, have the likes of Barry Hume, Mark Loftus, Graham Fox and Jack Doherty. For all of them, a crack at the European Tour could re-ignite careers that, so far at least, have failed to live up to potential.
Then you've got a group that includes Wallace Booth, Paul O'Hara, Scott Henry and Shaun McAllister, all relatively recent recruits to the professional ranks. For Booth, in particular, this year's Qualifying School is crucial.
A member of Scotland's Eisenhower Trophy-winning team two years ago, he was preparing for a Dunhill Links appearance this time last year but has become something of a forgotten man after failing to secure a card of any nature this season.
O'Hara, bidding to join his big brother, Steven, on the European Tour, has been keeping his competitive teeth sharp on the EPD Tour, while Henry, who beat Ross McGowan to win the Scottish Stroke Play a few years ago, has certainly showed signs of finding his feet with some encouraging performances on the EuroPro Tour, where McAllister has also been playing for the past two seasons.

For the likes of them, an acceptable outcome, should they fail to get on to the main circuit this time, would be a Challenge Tour card. Richie Ramsay, the South African Open champion, benefitted enormously from his spell on the second-tier Tour.
So, too, did Peter Whiteford and now George Murray is set to make the step up to the big time after learning how to become a Tour professional on the Challenge circuit.
Many of the aforementioned players got their first taste of the Qualifying School process as amateurs and, this time around, the field includes a handful of Scots who have entered while still retaining their amateur status.
Former British Boys champion Jordan Findlay has the class to get a run for his money, but for the others it's probably a case of guaging where their careers are at.
Having said that, two years ago Callum Macaulay was in the same boat and he secured his card at the first attempt, so you never know who might be in dreamland in 13 weeks' time, when the battle for those 30 cards will be nearing a conclusion.
For many, though, a place on the Challenge Tour should also be cause for celebration. The more players we get moving up the ladder, albeit slowly, the better chance we have of moulding players who have a chance of enjoying a long-term career on the European Tour.