ICE-COOL MARTIN CLAIMS FOURTH CARD
FOR NEXT YEAR’S EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR
Steve Martin’s experience gained from many pressure situations during his long career in amateur and professional golf helped him win a vital play-off at the European Seniors Tour Final Qualifying School on the Algarve today.
The Dundee man finished the regulation 72 hole competition over the par-71 Pinta Course (6,555yd) at the Pestana Golf Resort with four rounds of 70 for a four-under-par total of 280. He tied for fourth place with Frenchman Philippe Dugeny, Australian Mike Ferguson and South African John Mashego.
So far so good … but with only six full players’ cards for next year’s over-50s tour up for grabs, the quartet had to go out again in a sudden death play-off to eliminate one of them.
No sign of nerves from Steve as he won the play-off to claim the No 4 card with a birdie at the second extra hole. The fifth and sixth went to Dugeny and Ferguson, leaving Mashego with the first of the 11 conditional cards which will give their holders limited tournament opportunities next season.
ENTRY TO EVERY TOURNAMENT
Martin, with the No 4 card, will be able to play in every event if he so wishes.
Steve said: " I am just happy to get one of the cards and I will have a few beers tonight, that's for sure."
"The worst is definitely over now. Qualifying School is brutal and I can't believe that guys aged 60 and over come back to do this.
"I just hope I enjoy it next year as it's been 20 years since I was last on the European Tour. It will take a while to adjust, but as there is no cut on the Seniors Tour I can give it a rip and see where I finish."
Australian David Merriman defeated former European Tour player Emilio Rodriguez of Spain in a play-off to win the No 1 card. A club professional from Sydney, Merriman, playing in Europe for the first time, holed from 12 ft for a winning birdie on the second play-off hole.Earlier, both players had closed with 69s to finish the tournament with a four round aggregate of nine-under-par 275, four shots clear of New Zealand amateur Jim Lapsley in third place.The conditional-card winners included American Terry Dill, who, at the age of 67, completed six qualifying rounds in the space of eight days, starting with last week’s Stage 1 eliminator.
"I used to play a lot with Sam Snead and he has been my inspiration. He was making cuts on the regular tour when he was 67 and my motto is never, never give up," commented Dill, who, despite his age, still averages 290 yards of the tee.The ten other conditional cards went to the following players:
John Mashego (South Africa); Bill Malley (United States); Tim Rastall (England); Torsten Giedeon (Germany); John Benda (United States); Neville Clarke (South Africa); Rigoberto Velasquez (Columbia); Donald Stirling (Austria); Ivan Renjifo (Columbia) and Michael G Wolseley (Northern Ireland).
HOW THEY FINISHED
WINNERS OF FULL PLAYERS’ CARDS
275 D Merriman (Aus) 69 67 70 69, E Rodriguez (Spa) 67 72 67 69 (Merriman bt Rodriguez at second hole of play-off).
279 J Lapsley (am) (NZ) 74 67 69 69.
280 S Martin (Sco) 70 70 70 70, P Dugeny (Fra) 71 68 73 68, Mike Ferguson (Aus) 75 71 63 71 (Martin won four-way play-off for fourth card).
WINNERS OF CONDITIONAL CARDS.
280 John Mashego (SAf) 70 69 70 71 (lost play-off).
281 Bill Malley (US) 69 74 70 68.
282 Tim Rastall (Eng) 70 70 72 70.
283 Torsten Giedeon (Ger) 73 71 67 72.
284 John Benda (US) 73 66 69 76, Neville Clark (SAf) 70 72 70 72, Terry Dill (US) 69 71 72 72, Roberto Velasquez (Col) 71 69 71 73.
285 D Stirling (Aut) 69 73 72 71, I Renjifo (Col) 74 70 70 71, M G Wolseley (NI) 75 71 69 70 (after five-way play-off with J P Sallat (Fra) and A Mew (Tri).
Other scores:
285 Jean Pierre Sallat (Fra) 71 72 70 72, Alan Mew (Tri) 73 71 71 70.
286 Stewart Graham (Eng) 69 74 72 71 Jim Carson (US) 73 71 70 72.
287 Anders Johnsson (Swe) 73 74 72 68, Martin Foster (Eng) 72 73 71 71, Bill Hardwick (Can) 71 74 71 71.
288 John Curtis (Ire) 71 71 71 75.
289 Mike Inglis (Eng) 74 73 71 71, Chuck Milne (US) 75 71 71 72, Alex Romanoff (US) 72 74 68 75, Martin Morbey (Eng) 75 68 72 74, Bill McColl (Sco) 77 69 69 74.
290 Tim Huyton (Eng) 70 75 73 72, Tyrone Carter (am) (Eng) 75 71 71 73.
291 Mike Williams (Zim) 75 71 72 73, Peter Barber (Eng) 74 76 68 73.
292 Billy Todd (NI) 76 72 70 74, Mariano Aparicio (Spa) 74 69 76 73, Kent Nilsson (Swe) 70 75 72 75.
293 Malcolm Edmunds (Wal) 70 74 76 73, Gordon Townhill (Eng) 78 69 73 73, Mark Fernando (am) (US) 70 71 79 73.
294 Danny Garcia (Mex) 76 72 72 74.
295 Mitch Thomas (US) 72 72 73 78.
Disq - Luis Gallardo (Spa) 70 66 74 Disq.
FOR NEXT YEAR’S EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR
Steve Martin’s experience gained from many pressure situations during his long career in amateur and professional golf helped him win a vital play-off at the European Seniors Tour Final Qualifying School on the Algarve today.
The Dundee man finished the regulation 72 hole competition over the par-71 Pinta Course (6,555yd) at the Pestana Golf Resort with four rounds of 70 for a four-under-par total of 280. He tied for fourth place with Frenchman Philippe Dugeny, Australian Mike Ferguson and South African John Mashego.
So far so good … but with only six full players’ cards for next year’s over-50s tour up for grabs, the quartet had to go out again in a sudden death play-off to eliminate one of them.
No sign of nerves from Steve as he won the play-off to claim the No 4 card with a birdie at the second extra hole. The fifth and sixth went to Dugeny and Ferguson, leaving Mashego with the first of the 11 conditional cards which will give their holders limited tournament opportunities next season.
ENTRY TO EVERY TOURNAMENT
Martin, with the No 4 card, will be able to play in every event if he so wishes.
Steve said: " I am just happy to get one of the cards and I will have a few beers tonight, that's for sure."
"The worst is definitely over now. Qualifying School is brutal and I can't believe that guys aged 60 and over come back to do this.
"I just hope I enjoy it next year as it's been 20 years since I was last on the European Tour. It will take a while to adjust, but as there is no cut on the Seniors Tour I can give it a rip and see where I finish."
Australian David Merriman defeated former European Tour player Emilio Rodriguez of Spain in a play-off to win the No 1 card. A club professional from Sydney, Merriman, playing in Europe for the first time, holed from 12 ft for a winning birdie on the second play-off hole.Earlier, both players had closed with 69s to finish the tournament with a four round aggregate of nine-under-par 275, four shots clear of New Zealand amateur Jim Lapsley in third place.The conditional-card winners included American Terry Dill, who, at the age of 67, completed six qualifying rounds in the space of eight days, starting with last week’s Stage 1 eliminator.
"I used to play a lot with Sam Snead and he has been my inspiration. He was making cuts on the regular tour when he was 67 and my motto is never, never give up," commented Dill, who, despite his age, still averages 290 yards of the tee.The ten other conditional cards went to the following players:
John Mashego (South Africa); Bill Malley (United States); Tim Rastall (England); Torsten Giedeon (Germany); John Benda (United States); Neville Clarke (South Africa); Rigoberto Velasquez (Columbia); Donald Stirling (Austria); Ivan Renjifo (Columbia) and Michael G Wolseley (Northern Ireland).
HOW THEY FINISHED
WINNERS OF FULL PLAYERS’ CARDS
275 D Merriman (Aus) 69 67 70 69, E Rodriguez (Spa) 67 72 67 69 (Merriman bt Rodriguez at second hole of play-off).
279 J Lapsley (am) (NZ) 74 67 69 69.
280 S Martin (Sco) 70 70 70 70, P Dugeny (Fra) 71 68 73 68, Mike Ferguson (Aus) 75 71 63 71 (Martin won four-way play-off for fourth card).
WINNERS OF CONDITIONAL CARDS.
280 John Mashego (SAf) 70 69 70 71 (lost play-off).
281 Bill Malley (US) 69 74 70 68.
282 Tim Rastall (Eng) 70 70 72 70.
283 Torsten Giedeon (Ger) 73 71 67 72.
284 John Benda (US) 73 66 69 76, Neville Clark (SAf) 70 72 70 72, Terry Dill (US) 69 71 72 72, Roberto Velasquez (Col) 71 69 71 73.
285 D Stirling (Aut) 69 73 72 71, I Renjifo (Col) 74 70 70 71, M G Wolseley (NI) 75 71 69 70 (after five-way play-off with J P Sallat (Fra) and A Mew (Tri).
Other scores:
285 Jean Pierre Sallat (Fra) 71 72 70 72, Alan Mew (Tri) 73 71 71 70.
286 Stewart Graham (Eng) 69 74 72 71 Jim Carson (US) 73 71 70 72.
287 Anders Johnsson (Swe) 73 74 72 68, Martin Foster (Eng) 72 73 71 71, Bill Hardwick (Can) 71 74 71 71.
288 John Curtis (Ire) 71 71 71 75.
289 Mike Inglis (Eng) 74 73 71 71, Chuck Milne (US) 75 71 71 72, Alex Romanoff (US) 72 74 68 75, Martin Morbey (Eng) 75 68 72 74, Bill McColl (Sco) 77 69 69 74.
290 Tim Huyton (Eng) 70 75 73 72, Tyrone Carter (am) (Eng) 75 71 71 73.
291 Mike Williams (Zim) 75 71 72 73, Peter Barber (Eng) 74 76 68 73.
292 Billy Todd (NI) 76 72 70 74, Mariano Aparicio (Spa) 74 69 76 73, Kent Nilsson (Swe) 70 75 72 75.
293 Malcolm Edmunds (Wal) 70 74 76 73, Gordon Townhill (Eng) 78 69 73 73, Mark Fernando (am) (US) 70 71 79 73.
294 Danny Garcia (Mex) 76 72 72 74.
295 Mitch Thomas (US) 72 72 73 78.
Disq - Luis Gallardo (Spa) 70 66 74 Disq.
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, November 23, 2006
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