HEARTBREAK FOR STEWART, NO PROMOTION TO CHALLENGE TOUR

GRANTOWN ON SPEY MAN MISSES OUT ON
PROMOTION TO CHALLENGE TOUR BY LESS
THAN £400 - SIXTH IN ORDER OF MERIT

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Duncan Stewart suffered a double blow at the conclusion of the PGA EuroPro Tour's season-ending championship in Spain today.
The man from Grantown on Spey finished third, only one shot behind the play-off participants for the £15,000 jackpot prize at the Mar Menor Golf Resort, Murcia.
Then Stewart learned that his £3,250 prize money boosted his season's earnings to £15,404, which saw him finish in sixth place in the order of merit - and only the top five are automatically promoted to next season's European Challenge Tour
Duncan finished only £363 behind the fifth-placed Jamie Abbott.
Stewart closed with a 13-under-par total of 200 with scores of 67, 65 and 68.
Stewart, a winner of a £10,000 prize earlier in the EuroPro Tour this season, had the best possible start in his final round with birdies at the first two holes to boost his confidence for a round on which so much depended for his immediate golfing future.
He wobbled with a bogey at the long seventh and bounced back immediately with a birdie at the short eight. His last bogey of the day came at the ninth.
Stewart birdied the long 12th and the short 17th in covering the nine holes in two under par for a 68. But he couldn't get just one more birdie to get into the play-off in which victory would have put him on to the Challenge Tour next season.
His earlier rounds were 67 and 65.
Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) and Cawder's Chris Kelly tied for 15th place on 204 and earned £575 apiece. McAllister had four birdies and one bogey. in closing with a 68, Kelly third birdies and two bogeys in a final 70.
Paul Doherty (Vale of Glamorgan) finished joint 21st and earned £385 for a total of 207.
Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) picked up £315 for a joint 29th finish on 209.
Ed Wood (Crow Wood) finished on level par but last of the Scots in joint 42nd place on 213 for which he received £245.
James Busby (The Shropshire) won the play-off for the £15,000 prize after he and George Cowan (Westerhope) tied on 14-under-par 199. The play-off went to the third extra-hole.
Busby's victory clinched his place among the five promoted to the Challenge Tour.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
199 James Busby (The Shropshire) 65 65 69, George Cowan (Westerhope) 67 67 65. Busby (£15,000) won sudden-death play-off; Cowan (£7,500).
200 Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) 67 65 68 (£3,750).
201 Jon White (Saunton 72 64 65, George Woolgar (England) 71 64 66, Darryn Lloyd (Wales) 66 65 70 (£1,837 each).

OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
204 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) 66 70 68, Chris Kelly (Cawder) 67 67 70 (T15) (£575 each).
207 Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) 71 69 67 (T21) (£385).
209 Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) 69 70 70 (T29) (£315).
213 Ed Wood (Crow Wood) 71 68 74 (T42) (£245).


BUSBY PUTS THE HAT ON A GREAT SEASON

REPORT BY MICHAEL EMONS
JAMES Busby has booked his place on next season’s Challenge Tour after winning the biggest event of the 2011 PGA EuroPro Tour season.
Busby, who had finished second at three competitions this year, claimed victory when it mattered most as he triumphed in the 888poker.com Tour Championships at the Intercontinental Mar Menor Golf Resort in Murcia, Spain.
He led by one shot at the start of the final day but eventually won on the third extra hole of a play-off as he edged out George Cowan after the pair had finished on -14 after three rounds.
Busby, 29, pocketed £15,000 for the win and secured his place in the top five in the Order of Merit to advance to the higher tier and be only one step away from playing alongside Europe ’s elite.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said a delighted Busby (The Shropshire). “It was a place in the top five that I was after but the victory was a bonus on top of that.
“The last three years have been tough as I’ve put myself in position for the top five and last year I missed out by one place, which was terrible. I didn’t perform in the Tour Championships last year and that was in the back of mind but this year I’ve finished the job.
“I’ve put in the practice and knew the course so I knew what shots to practice on.
“I’ve played a couple of Challenge Tour events and finished 11th at an event at Stoke-by-Nayland - there is not much difference in the standard between the Challenge Tour and the EuroPro.
“My ambition has been this and beyond and I want to be on the main tour and be well known as a good golfer so hopefully I can get from the Challenge Tour to the main tour. I don’t know where my career can lead to now and there’s a good living to be made.”
Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall) and Graeme Clark (Doncaster) had already secured their places on next year’s Challenge Tour and were joined by Luke Goddard (Hendon), Busby and Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley).
But there was heartbreak for a number of players including Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey), Paul Reed ( Bristol and Clifton ), Cowan (Westerhope) and Darryn Lloyd, who narrowly missed out on a top five place.
The tour did not end well for all players as Zane Scotland ended the campaign heading to hospital after an injury sustained by the hotel pool.
“I broke something in my foot or toe. It’s really painful and hospital later,” tweeted Scotland .
All of the event action has been filmed and Matchroom Sport will produce a highlights programme, which will be broadcast on Sky Sports on Wednesday, October 26.

FINAL ORDER OF MERIT
(TOP FIVE ADVANCE TO CHALLENGE TOUR)
1 Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall Golf Club £37,929.50
2 James Busby (The Shropshire £29,191.67
3 Graeme Clark (Doncaster GC £25,653.34
4 Luke Goddard (Hendon £16,664.17
5 Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley £15,768.46

=========missed promotion to Challenge Tour =======
6 Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey £15,405.62
7 Paul Reed (Bristol and Clifton Golf Club £13,823.60
8 George Cowan (Westerhope Golf Club £12,779.67
9 Darryn W. Lloyd (Acrabuild Ltd £12,497.50
10 Andrew Willey (Notts Golf Club £12,200.00