Teenage kicks at La Cala — O'Driscoll and Carey win Alps Tour cards
David Carey (left) and Killarney's Tommy O'Driscoll pictured with the President of the Alps Tour, Waltraud Neuwirth, at La Cala on Wednesday.
Teenagers Tommy O’Driscoll and David Carey produced the golf under pressure at to win their Alps Tour cards for 2016 at the Final Stage of the Qualifying School in Spain.
Killarney amateur O’Driscoll, 19, closed with a two over 74 on La Cala Resort's Asia Course to finish 18th on level par and secure a full category for next season even though he will remain amateur.
Carey, who turned professional earlier this year and played 14 events on the Alps Tour for 64th place in the Order of Merit, needed a birdie-par finish to make the crucial top 35 and ties on the mark thanks to a gutsy, one over 73.
The 19-year old former Carton House player was three over par after four holes of the third and final round.
But while he would drop two more shots, he also made an eagle three at his 14th hole and birdies at his seventh and 17th to make it on the three over par limit.
O’Driscoll, who won the Ulster Boys in 2014, will not turning pro in the foreseeable future and plans to play the Alps Tour as amateur in 2016 having plotted his way through the final round.
Spain’s Javier Gallegos won the Final Stage, finishing with two birdies for a 68 and a one shot win on 10 under par from France’s Victor Perez on a day of perfect weather.
“My game plan was to be aggressive,” Gallegoes told AlpsTourGolf.com. “I wanted to do as many birdies as possible so I went for the pins on each hole.
"Sometimes I missed and dropped shots, but all in all my goal is achieved, I wanted to win.”
