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November 2002
6 November, European Tour Qualifying Stage 2, Spain
Arrived here on Sunday and the PGA Golf de Catalunya, near Barcelona is
a very good layout but also a very hilly tiring course. Unfortunately
6 of the greens are totally gone due to oil spillages, so putting is going
to be interesting. My game feels good and I am putting much better so
here's hoping for a good week. The weather is also nice and warm which
make a change to back home at the moment. There is a 54 hole cut in this
event and the qualification for the next stage is the top 30, so that
is my aim this week rather than the win, although that would be nice too!
Speak to you after round one. David
7 November, European Tour Qualifying Stage 2, 1st Round 77 (+5)
After a 25 minute delay for fog we finally got going, then the wind picked
up. I started from the 10th and it was blowing a gale! Got off to a good
start with a birdie at my 2nd, but then lost a ball at the 4th to drop
back over par. Then as the weather got worse I bogeyed 6,7,9 and 13 for
77. I am actually lying OK but I was definitely on the wrong side of the
draw today. I played OK generally, apart from a couple of 3-putts, but
the greens are poor. Hopefully it will be quicker tomorrow - 6 hours is
a long time on a golf course, especially in this weather. David
8 November, European Tour Qualifying Stage 2, 2nd Round 72 (Level)
Played really well today after a double bogey at the 1st. My first 3 bad
swings cost me four shots, but I settled down quickly after that. I took
34 putts today despite putting pretty well. I managed to birdie the four
par-5s, two-putting from under 20 feet on each occasion. This round puts
me right back in it as I am now inside the top-30. The cut comes after
tomorrow's round when the top-30 and everyone within 8 shots of 30th plays
the last round. Hopefully I can continue the form of the last 17 holes
into tomorrow. David
9 November, European Tour Qualifying Stage 2, 3rd Round, 74 (+2)
I played awful for the front nine this morning and was +6 after 10 holes
after a triple bogey at the 10th. Then something happened and I played
awesome! Despite three putting from 20 feet and missing two 8-footers
I was 4-under for the last 8 holes. Unfortunately I made two 6s on reachable
par-5s and you just can't afford to do that. I am going to need a good
round tomorrow as I am 7-over par in tied 36th, two off the vital top-30
places. It's just a question of cutting out the mistakes and shooting
a number that gets me through. Catch up with you tomorrow, David
10 November, European Tour Qualifying Stage 2, 4th Round, 70 (-2)
A good round of 70 safely gets me through to the Final Qualifying next
week. Played great but could not hole the putts that would make life easy.
Starting from the 10th I birdied the 12th, 16th and the 3rd with my only
bogey coming at the 18th. I finished in tied 22nd, two shots ahead of
the qualifying mark. The key to today was not making any big numbers like
I did yesterday and I managed that by only missing two greens and two
fairways, although 34 putts could have been better. However I am through
and that is all that matters this week. The final qualifying is at Pals
and Emporda in Spain, starting on Friday November 15, so I will be heading
down the coast to there tomorrow. Speak to you from there, David.
14 November, European Tour Final Qualifying, Spain
Just a quick note to let you know that I an teeing off in the first round
tomorrow at Pals from the 1st at 10.55am. I am playing the first two rounds
with Marcel Haremza of Germany and South African amateur Charles Schwartzel,
so we'll see what their chat's like! The first aim this week is to make
the top-75 for the four round cut. That will at least guarantee me the
same card on the Challenge Tour I had this year. From there it is all
go for the top-35 for a European Tour card. Catch up with you tomorrow
after Round 1. David
15 November, European Tour Final Qualifying, 1st Round 71 (-1)
Started poorly and was 2 over after 8, but then really got myself back
into it with four birdies in five holes from the ninth, including 2s at
9 and 11. I didn't make birdie at the par-5 14th and 18th holes and bogeyed
17 as well, so it could have been better. However I did not play very
well so I suppose it is good to still be under par. My driving was very
poor today, but some practice after the round sorted it out and hopefully
it will be better tomorrow. The Tour School is played over two courses
for the first four days, with two rounds on each, so it is off to Emporda
tomorrow for my 9.45 am tee-time starting from the 10th. A good start,
but a long way to go! David
16 November, European Tour Final Qualifying, 2nd Round 72 (+1)
Starting from the 10th I played OK but made nothing on the greens over
3 feet. I made 15 pars in a row and it was starting to get a bit frustrating,
but then I made birdie at my 16th to finally get under par. However I
then made a double bogey 7 at 17 which was a complete killer. I went to
the practice ground after and sorted everything out, then went to the
physio van to watch Scotland's great rugby victory over South Africa.
Well done the boys! Tomorrow I am back at Emporda off the 10th at 8.55am.
I am currently tied 118th, but there are a lot of people around par so
if I can shoot sub-70 tomorrow then that should move me up quite a few
places. Cheers, David
17 November, European Tour Final Qualifying, 3rd Round 72 (+1)
Not the score I had in mind, but I am not completely out of it. Played
OK and managed to get it to a couple under par, but had a very disappointing
finish with three fives to drop 2 shots. The weather reflected my play
as a storm went past causing a delay for lightning of about an hour. I
am in a tie for 127th place, so I am going to need to go low tomorrow
and shoot a 65 or thereabouts to make the four round cut and at least
guarantee my place on the Challenge Tour for next year. I am off at Pals
from the 1st at 10.10am, so I will update you after the round. David
18 November, European Tour Final Qualifying, 4th Round 69 (-3)
My best round of the week, but I don't think it is going to be enough.
I played OK, but a couple of dumb shots and the odd bad swing at the wrong
time really cost me. I also missed some good chances for birdie which
I could not afford to do. My 2-under par total is going to be 3 or 4 too
many for the cut so I am pretty gutted, but I guess I did not play well
enough when I needed to. I will probably change from category 8 to category
11 on the Challenge Tour next year, but I should still be able to get
into most tournaments, so I am heading home to work out my schedule for
the winter and next year. Thanks for all your support this season. David
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