Elson and Pinckney grab tour cards in style

Mike Stewart presents David Dixon with his first prize cheque at the Q-School at PGA Catalunya Resort.England’s Jamie Elson epitomised the fighting spirit needed to succeed at the six-round European Tour Qualifying School when he holed a 40-foot bomb for birdie on his 108th and final hole of the week to earn his card on the seven-under par limit.

The 30-year old shot a 63 just to make the cut at PGA Catalunya Resort but after a fifth round 73 left him three shots outside the crucial top 30 and ties, he looked on course for a European Tour return when he picked up three shots on his front nine on the Stadium Course.

A double bogey at his 10th hole, followed by seven successive pars, left him needing something special at the 478-yard ninth to make his dream come true. And he found it in style when his putt tracked up a steep slope and into the hole for a closing 70, giving him the 32nd card.

“It was just ridiculous,” Elson said as he tapped on his iPhone in the bar, still scarcely able to believe what he’d just done. “I hit it to the top tier and it rolled back to the front of the green. It was a long putt with a fair bit of break but it went in. Unbelievable.”

England’s David Dixon had two eagles in a three under 69 to win the top card, finishing one stroke clear of compatriot Sam Hutsby (68) on 21-under par 407 with Andy Sullivan (68), a member of this year’s triumphant Great Britain and Ireland Waker Cup team, a stroke further back in third.

A total of 37 players earned cards on 421 or better with former European Tour winner Maarten Lafeber of the Netherlands one of eight players to qualify on the seven-under par limit despite closing with three successive bogeys.

Several players made major leaps up the leaderboard in the final round of the six-day marathon with American Scott Pinckney, a childhood friend of Rory McIlroy and a summer guest of his family’s at their Utah home, the biggest mover as he birdied his 16th and 18th holes in a joint best of the day 65 with Scottish veteran Gary Orr (eighth) to earn the 24th card on eight under.

“I knew I needed to pick up two shots coming in,” said Pinckney,who was tied for 66th starting the day. “It hasn’t hit me yet, but I am just thrilled beyond belief, it’s a dream come true.”

Spaniard Agustin Domingo (67) had an eagle, two birdies in his last five holes to finish on ten under while England’s Andrew Marshall holed par putts of 10 and 15 feet on the last two greens to take the 37th and last card.

A total of 957 players teed it up at the Qualifying School but just six came through all three stages - Pinckney, Austria’s Hans Peter Bacher, Dutchmen Wil Besseling and Taco Remkes, Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo and Spain’s Adrian Otaequi.

Ireland’s four contenders - David Higgins, Chris Devlin, Jonny Caldwell and Cian McNamara - missed the 72-hole cut but all five Dutchmen in action earned their cards with Lafeber, Besseling and Remkes joined on the tour by former British Amateur winner Reiner Saxton and Tim Sluiter.

Dixon said: “It has been a very up and down day again. There were some highs and lows, but I’m really chuffed to come out on top. I hit some good shots and bad shots, and the back nine was a bit of a rollercoaster, but that’s the way it goes.

“My caddie and I talked last night and decided the attitude had to be: ‘let’s go out and win it’. We thought that would take my mind off whatever else was going on. I had a perfect start, but then hit a couple of loose ones towards the end of the front nine which caused a bit of a scare. Then I hit some great shots but one went in the water, and in the end I was happy to hold on. I holed some really good putts towards the end and got the job done.

“It’s been a very up and down year and it’s been a bit of a nightmare on and off the course, but this is an awesome way to finish and I can’t wait for next year now. The goal now has to be to try to win again. I’ve just got to go out there and do the best I can and try to get another title under my belt – that would be very nice.”

Hutsby finished second at the Final Stage for the second time in three visits to the Qualifying School, but the 23 year old is confident of retaining his playing privileges next term after learning some valuable lessons from his debut campaign on The European Tour in 2010.  

He said: “It definitely feels better than the last time I got my card, and I’ve learned a lot from when I turned pro. I changed a few things that probably weren’t for the best, but just to have a shot back on The European Tour and show what I can do is pretty exciting.

“I think I’m a much stronger person than I was last time I was on Tour, so I can’t wait for the season to start. Some of the golf I played this week gives me a lot of confidence for the future. I got myself into contention a couple of times during my first year on Tour and wasn’t able to finish it off, but now I know that if I play as well as I can, I can go out there and chase down my first win.

“The main goal is to secure my card again, but hopefully I can put myself into contention again. Just being at the top of the leaderboard was an awesome feeling, I had a few butterflies in the stomach. It’s nice to be out there chasing a win, and I want to get that feeling back again as soon as possible.”

Hutsby ultimately edged his private duel with fellow former Walker Cup player Sullivan, with whom he shares a management company. But the 25-year old from Birmingham was nonetheless delighted to have earned elevation to the top tier of European golf just three months after joining the professional ranks.

He said: “It’s just a relief to be finished. It was a bit weird out there today, because I wasn’t sure whether to go for it or to hold back and play safe.

“But I got towards the end and saw the leaders weren’t really pulling away, so I thought I’d have a go for it. Unfortunately it didn’t quite happen, but it’s a great week to get through and I’m really excited about next year now.

“I was a bit nervous this morning, if I’m honest. I felt the butterflies. But I also felt ready to go, and I really enjoyed it. It’s been a good year, and this really tops it off. It’s great to come through it at the first time of asking, so I couldn’t be happier.”

Orr will celebrate his 20th year on tour next season and like compatriot Steven O’Hara, who finished joint fifth, he’s in no hurry to return to the School.

“Definitely not,” the 44-year old said. “It’s like playing on a Friday afternoon when you are right on the cut line, except it is that feeling all week so you can’t relax at any time. It is not as if you can get a nice round going and relax and enjoy it. That just doesn’t happen. You are right on a knife edge all week.”

Complete Sixth and Final Round scores from The European Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort, Girona, Spain; Stadium course, par 72.

407 D Dixon (Eng) 74 65 63 69 67 69;

408 S Hutsby  (Eng) 60 69 68 71 72 68;

409 A Sullivan (Eng) 65 66 67 72 71 68;

410 R Bland (Eng) 67 72 65 68 69 69;

411 S O’Hara  (Sco) 73 67 65 68 70 68; J Garcia  (Esp) 71 64 66 73 68 69;

412 K Borsheim  (Nor) 66 71 69 68 68 70;

413 G Orr (Sco) 68 69 69 69 73 65; E Grillo (Arg) 73 68 70 68 65 69;

414 G Cambis  (Fra) 66 69 68 69 70 72; B Grace  (RSA) 68 68 65 70 70 73;

415 J Lagergren (Swe) 66 71 67 71 71 69; T Nørret (Den) 71 67 62 74 70 71;

416 M Nixon (Eng) 68 69 67 72 71 69; B Ritthammer (Ger) 65 71 68 68 67 77;

417 W Abery (RSA) 69 65 67 75 73 68; L Kennedy  (Eng) 68 66 70 69 74 70; D Fichardt (RSA) 66 73 66 68 73 71; A Bernadet  (Fra) 68 69 69 69 67 75;

418 A Domingo (Esp) 71 67 67 74 72 67; M Lundberg (Swe) 70 68 66 73 71 70; J Guerrier  (Fra) 68 66 71 73 69 71;

419 A Otaegui  (Esp) 68 69 69 66 75 72;

420 S Pinckney (USA) 66 73 70 71 75 65; A Haindl (RSA) 71 67 70 70 75 67; W Besseling  (Ned) 74 63 69 72 72 70; M Southgate  (Eng) 70 68 71 71 68 72; P Gustafsson (Swe) 70 63 66 75 73 73; R Saxton (Ned) 70 66 65 78 66 75;

421 T Remkes (Ned) 73 69 72 65 73 69; H Bacher (Aut) 71 68 70 70 72 70; J Elson  (Eng) 74 67 74 63 73 70; T Van Der Walt (RSA) 69 74 72 64 71 71; T Sluiter  (Ned) 63 75 68 70 72 73; A Marshall (Eng) 68 71 68 69 70 75; M Lafeber (Ned) 69 67 69 70 71 75; V Riu  (Fra) 67 69 66 69 75 75;

End of tour cards

422 S Buhl (Ger) 68 72 66 74 73 69; J Hugo  (RSA) 65 71 70 69 74 73; D McKenzie (Aus) 69 64 68 71 75 75;

423 B Barham (Eng) 65 70 66 73 79 70; R Quiros  (Esp) 65 69 72 74 71 72; S Benson (Eng) 72 71 70 66 71 73; A Parr (Can) 72 66 67 72 73 73; H Soon-Sang (Kor) 68 72 65 71 74 73; E Kofstad (Nor) 66 68 70 72 73 74; J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 71 63 72 72 68 77;

424 R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 67 71 67 75 73 71; P Dwyer (Eng) 67 69 68 72 77 71; C Doak (Sco) 71 68 66 72 73 74; J Gibb (Eng) 69 68 67 69 77 74; A Ahokas (Fin) 74 66 64 72 70 78;

425 M Madsen  (Den) 71 71 71 67 74 71; A Tampion  (Aus) 65 73 68 70 76 73; J Hansen  (Den) 67 67 71 73 73 74; C Brazillier  (Fra) 65 74 67 73 69 77; M Carlsson  (Swe) 66 70 66 75 71 77;

426 J Walters (RSA) 73 70 70 66 73 74; A Snobeck  (Fra) 67 72 66 72 74 75;

427 D Vancsik (Arg) 68 68 69 73 78 71; J Wahlqvist (Swe) 71 69 68 71 73 75; B Parker  (Eng) 69 67 70 72 74 75;

428 S Jeppesen  (Swe) 73 70 70 67 75 73; S Kim (Kor) 68 71 68 73 73 75; A Tadini (Ita) 69 70 70 69 71 79; A Byeong-Hun (Kor) 70 70 65 72 72 79;

429 B Chapellan (Fra) 70 69 69 72 74 75;

432 F McGuirk  (Eng) 76 69 68 66 78 75;

433 M Tullo (Chi) 73 69 72 66 77 76;

Missed the cut

281 M Crespi  (Ita) 67 69 76 69 0 0; C Monasterio (Arg) 71 72 70 68 0 0; C Macaulay  (Sco) 76 67 70 68 0 0; D Higgins (Irl) 65 72 74 70 0 0; J Ruth  (Eng) 72 74 71 64 0 0; P Archer (Eng) 73 65 72 71 0 0; J Knutzon (USA) 70 70 69 72 0 0; C Lloyd (Eng) 69 74 74 64 0 0;

282 J Sandelin (Swe) 71 72 68 71 0 0; A Canete (Arg) 71 72 73 66 0 0; A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 72 66 71 73 0 0; J Levermore (Eng) 73 67 68 74 0 0;

283 M Kieffer (Ger) 70 67 76 70 0 0; T Mordt  (RSA) 69 71 72 71 0 0; T Argonz (Arg) 69 74 72 68 0 0; P Broadhurst (Eng) 72 70 72 69 0 0; C Paisley  (Eng) 67 71 73 72 0 0; T Hatton (Eng) 72 72 74 65 0 0; E Saltman  (Sco) 74 69 74 66 0 0; J Morgan  (Eng) 73 68 75 67 0 0; M Eliasson (Swe) 72 70 76 65 0 0; D Brooks (Eng) 70 68 67 78 0 0;

284 M Siddikur  (Ban) 73 73 69 69 0 0; M Rominger  (Sui) 74 70 70 70 0 0; A Michael (RSA) 67 76 72 69 0 0; A Kang (USA) 73 68 71 72 0 0; E Canonica (Ita) 69 73 75 67 0 0; F Delamontagne  (Fra) 68 74 75 67 0 0; X Poncelet  (Fra) 73 69 77 65 0 0; J Bäckström (Swe) 72 66 69 77 0 0;

285 F Fritsch  (Ger) 75 73 69 68 0 0; J Huldahl (Den) 77 72 70 66 0 0; A Da Silva (Bra) 70 71 70 74 0 0; P Oriol (Esp) 68 76 72 69 0 0; S Wakefield (Eng) 71 74 73 67 0 0; C Devlin (Nir) 73 71 73 68 0 0; A Perrino  (Ita) 68 73 74 70 0 0; M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 70 70 70 75 0 0; F De Vries  (Ned) 68 76 76 65 0 0; S Drummond (Sco) 75 66 76 68 0 0; J Zapata (Arg) 70 71 77 67 0 0; N Meitinger  (Ger) 68 69 71 77 0 0;

286 A Velasco (Esp) 72 74 71 69 0 0; L Goddard  (Eng) 69 76 74 67 0 0; P Richardson (Eng) 72 71 74 69 0 0; J Haeggman (Swe) 69 75 75 67 0 0; A Forsyth (Sco) 70 70 70 76 0 0; U Weinhandl (Aut) 69 71 70 76 0 0; O Henningsson  (Swe) 73 66 71 76 0 0;

287 A McLean (Sco) 68 78 71 70 0 0; D Gaunt (Aus) 73 72 75 67 0 0; N Dougherty  (Eng) 70 73 75 69 0 0; T Ferreira  (RSA) 71 70 71 75 0 0; R Echenique (Arg) 70 73 76 68 0 0;

288 A Hartø  (Den) 74 70 75 69 0 0;

289 M Quiros (Esp) 75 73 71 70 0 0; A Versfeld (RSA) 70 77 71 71 0 0; A Townsend (Aus) 73 73 75 68 0 0; L Jensen (Den) 81 65 75 68 0 0;

290 A Lahiri (Ind) 70 76 74 70 0 0; G Clark (Eng) 70 75 78 67 0 0; D Wright (Eng) 68 73 78 71 0 0;

291 B Mannix (Eng) 74 76 68 73 0 0; W Ormsby (Aus) 74 67 75 75 0 0; D Bransdon (Aus) 70 73 76 72 0 0; M Molina (Arg) 71 69 75 76 0 0;

292 P Reed (USA) 64 80 75 73 0 0; J Robinson (Eng) 75 68 76 73 0 0;

293 C McNamara (Irl) 78 73 73 69 0 0; J Caldwell  (Nir) 78 68 76 71 0 0; T Leon (USA) 67 76 76 74 0 0; B Evans  (Eng) 72 70 79 72 0 0; M Ford (Eng) 67 78 80 68 0 0;

294 L Saltman (Sco) 77 67 71 79 0 0; J Lima  (Por) 72 73 82 67 0 0;

295 S Matton (Eng) 74 73 77 71 0 0;

296 D Smith (Eng) 75 70 75 76 0 0;

297 L Tintera  (Cze) 72 82 75 68 0 0;

Retired/withdrew: J Etulain  (Arg) 77 77 74 WD  0 0; A Kaleka  (Fra) 77 71 76 WD  0 0; C Russo (Fra) 72 75 77 WD  0 0; F Praegant (Aut) 77 69 79 WD  0 0; M Erlandsson (Swe) 71 72 79 WD  0 0; M Vibe-Hastrup  (Den) 69 77 RT  0 0 0; C Suneson (Esp) 70 78 RT  0 0 0; G Emerson (Eng) 79 74 RT  0 0 0;