Dastardly challenge for Moriarty in Italy

Glasson’s Colm Moriarty needs to pull off the ultimate Italian Job in the €300,000 Apulia San Domenico Grand Final to make his tour dreams come true.

But as he said in Egypt last week: “No matter what happens this week, you can look to any part of the season where you missed a short putt or missed a cut and blame that for your Ranking position – it’s not just about this week.”

The Athlone man, 31, tees it up in the final event of the Challenge Tour season near Brindisi today needing a top-two finish to earn promotion to the main tour after seven years in the minor leagues.

The top 45 in the Challenge Tour Rankings are in Italy for the season-ending shootout. But only the top 20 money winners will gain an automatic place on the European Tour next term which leaves 42nd ranked Moriarty needing his best Challenge Tour result for more than three years to avoid a tenth trip to the dreaded Q-School.

Rankings leader Alvaro Velasco of Spain has already guaranteed his place at the starting line for next season’s Race to Dubai. But with €51,500 on offer for the winner, every player in the 45-man field has a chance of making his tour dream come true.

Moriarty certainly knows all about overcoming pressure and proved it in last week’s Egyptian Open.

The former Walker Cup player was sitting in the hot seat at 45th in the rankings and in danger of missing this week’s flagship event. But tied for 14th place with the likes of world No 9 Rory McIlroy to earn his place in the Grand Final.

If he fails to get make the jump to the main tour this week, he can blame his haul of just two top 10 finishes from 16 starts this term. Then again, he may get another chance to earn his dream ticket at the Qualifying School.