Super Selfridge poised for big leap
Moyola Park's Chris Selfridge. Picture: Pat Cashman
Chris Selfridge headed to China hoping to battle his way into the season-ending Grand Final but finds himself with an opportunity to take giant step towards the European Tour.
The 23-year old from Castledawson was the second last man into the Foshan Open field, the penultimate event of the Challenge Tour season, where he needs a Top 12 finish to make the 45-man field for the season-ending NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.
But after carding a four under 68 in round three, Selfridge is solo fifth and in with a chance of a win or a runner up finish that would catapult him from 56th into the Top 15 in the Road to Oman rankings who earn full Euorpean Tour cards after the final event from November 4-7.
The Univeristy of Toledo graduate’s performance is all the more remarkable considering he has made 12 successive cuts on the Challenge Tour having only started his maiden professional campaign in May.
He’s on nine under par on China, four strokes behind Spain’s Borja Virto Astudillo, who in turn is just 18 holes away from guaranteed European Tour graduation.
The 24 year old, who is currently in 15th place in the Road to Oman Rankings, carded a level par 72 and extended his lead by a further stroke to three over South Africa’s Haydn Porteous (73), Dane Joachim Hansen (71) and Swede Björn Åkesson (68).
Porteous is 12th in the rankings and with Hansen 33rd and Akesson 21st, all three can take a massive step towards securing European Tour cards on Sunday.
Borja Virto Astudillo. Picture © Richard Castka
The Foshan Open, Shishan Town (Par 72)
203 B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 64 67 72,
206 J Hansen (Den) 70 65 71, H Porteous (RSA) 65 68 73, B Åkesson (Swe) 67 71 68,
207 Chris Selfridge (Nir) 69 70 68,
208 R Gouveia (Por) 70 66 72, L Jun-Seok (Aus) 69 72 67, S Gros (Fra) 72 67 69, E Dubois (Fra) 67 68 73, J Hahn (USA) 71 69 68,
209 M Søgaard (Den) 72 69 68, C Hanson (Eng) 69 69 71, C Ding-Gen (Chn) 70 68 71, G Boyd (Eng) 72 72 65, M Orrin (Eng) 67 75 67, S Tiley (Eng) 71 68 70, A McArthur (Sco) 74 67 68,
210 M Delpodio (Ita) 69 72 69, J Makitalo (Fin) 73 70 67, Z Xin-Jun (Chn) 69 69 72, H Joannes (Bel) 72 71 67, J Winther (Den) 72 67 71, M Wiegele (Aut) 70 71 69,
211 G Charoenkul (Tha) 70 70 71, T Murray (Eng) 71 69 71, A Björk (Swe) 69 72 70, C Zi-Hao (Chn) 66 74 71, J McLeary (Sco) 73 68 70, T Remkes (Ned) 71 68 72, S Walker (Eng) 71 70 70,
212 C Shinkwin (Eng) 71 71 70, P Whiteford (Sco) 73 71 68, H Shao-Cai (Chn) 71 73 68, S Soderberg (Swe) 70 73 69, T Linard (Fra) 72 67 73,
213 C Sordet (Fra) 75 69 69, L Gagli (Ita) 71 69 73, S Jeppesen (Swe) 72 72 69, D Foos (Ger) 73 71 69, R Evans (Eng) 75 69 69,
214 S Kim (USA) 74 71 69, Z Hui-Lin (Chn) 72 71 71, R Davies (Wal) 71 73 70, R Fox (Nzl) 72 69 73, C Hai-Meng (Chn) 72 70 72, W Harrold (Eng) 70 72 72,
215 M Yiyuan (Chn) 72 71 72, Z Guo-Wu (Chn) 70 72 73, J Sjöholm (Swe) 73 71 71, J Dantorp (Swe) 68 72 75, Y Guang-Ming (Chn) 73 72 70, J Fahrbring (Swe) 72 69 74, E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 69 74 72,
216 P Widegren (Swe) 72 71 73, G Sapp (USA) 73 71 72, J Lima (Por) 73 71 72,
217 M Schneider (Ger) 71 74 72,
218 R Coles (Eng) 72 72 74, D Lee (Kor) 73 67 78, D Im (USA) 74 71 73,
225 S Yi-Cheng (Chn) 75 70 80.
