Mav's European & Challenge Tour Weekly Edition - Austrian Open

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European Tour

The Austrian Open returns to our screens this week, with a not exactly stellar field, but is littered with some interesting entrants (see below for details). It comes at a crucial time of the ET calendar for many that are still scratching around trying to seek enough money to retain their cards.

It was this time last year Jose Manuel Lara who looked to be heading back to Q-School after a relatively poor season, but a final round 64 to make the play off then victory and the rest they say is history, 2 year exemption gained followed up by some fine form as he was worry free…
Walker Cup stars Paul Cutler and Tom Lewis will make their professional debuts at the Austrian Golf Open presented by Lyoness.

1. Tom Lewis shot into the golfing spotlight with his unforgettable performance at this year’s Open Championship, where he won the Silver Medal as leading amateur and finished in 30th place overall. He is also the latest in the line of golfing starlets to sign up with Chubby Chandler’s IMG management team.

2. Paul Cutler will find himself in exactly the same position as Lewis as he looks to bypass The European Tour Qualifying School and secure his playing privileges before the end of the year with a maximum of seven invites.

Cutler will arrive in Austria with one of golf’s most respected caddies, Phil ‘Wobbly’ Morbey (Can you name the two bags he carried to US Masters Victory). This surely signifies his desire to achieve success at the highest level by taking a top caddy from day one.

3. Also in the field we have Mr. Invitee himself John Daly, golf’s very own gypsy traveler of sorts, refusing to do what he should by qualifying for a tour instead of living off handouts from tournament organizers.

4. Padraig Harrington tips up in Austria too, having woefully missed out on any chance of playing in the tour championship, with a pretty dismal season stateside and much work still required to recapture any sort of form.

Challenge Tour

Another English win last week on the CT, following on from Tommy Fleetwoods win in the big one in Kazakhstan, we now have Sam Little taking a lucrative title in the M2M Russian Challenge cup.

Despite a relatively average week in Russia for Fleetwood especially with a closing round 77, he can be safe in the knowledge that his lead at the top of the CT Order of Merit has actually been extended due to #2 on the list Ricardo Santos missing the cut.

The CT this week takes a trip to Toulouse for the Allianz Golf Open; this see’s a return to action for Kent’s own pair and both locals to me, Philip Archer who seems to be finding more fame and “fortune” in his recent outings on the trilby tour. The other that see’s a return to action is Ben Barham, usually a regular on the full ET, but due to illness, having had a Cancerous tumour removed from his Kidney has been playing mainly on invites to full ET events and some CT events. Wishing Ben well in his play this week and hopefully he can return to the full tour soon.

So the CT’s current top 20 incumbents and those looking like qualifying for the tour proper with the varying levels of card available to them dependent on final standings is currently: (All monies shown in Euros)


1. Tommy Fleetwood - Eng – 109,613
2. Ricardo Santos - Por – 91,316
3. Benjamin Herbert - Fra - 83,997 (Already fully exempt for ET having won 3 times on this years CT)
4. Daniel Dennison - Eng - 79,553
5. Jamie Moul - Eng - 77,776
6. Sam Little - Eng - 71,281
7. Edouard Dubois - Fra - 70,536
8. Andrea Pavan - Ita - 70,121
9. Federico Colombo - Ita - 64,147
10. Charle Russon - Fra - 63,536
11. Jorge Campillo - Esp - 63,358
12. Chris Gane - Eng - 60,204
13. Craig Lee - Sco - 59,970
14. Anthony Snobeck - Fra - 56,475
15. Branden Grace - RSA - 55,756
16. Florian Praegant - Aut - 53,896
17. Jamie Elson - Eng - 52,191
18. Sam Walker - Eng - 50,897
19. Matthew Southgate - Eng - 50,720
20. Peter Gustafsson - Swe - 50,669

Others News:

GB&I were once again victorious in the Seve trophy, the lead built up over the first 3 days in the pairs events proved crucial as team Europe roared back on the final day singles, but lost out at the last with a half for Mark Foster proving the critical point. Also to note Poulter yet again proving he’s formidable in match play singles beating young Matteo.

The other GB&I team sadly did not fair so well in the PGA cup, which is the club pro’s version of the Ryder Cup, sadly losing out again to their US counter parts 17 ½ to 8 ½ .

Hope everyone’s not now asleep after this week’s fairly long thread but we are coming to the business end of the season so now is the time results will be seen on the threads to see who is doing what. So likely to be a quiet week on the ET what with the TC being played at east lake but next weeks Dunhill is already starting to look a bit special.

John Cregan: I think Pod has totally overlooked the importance of thinking about the shot. He seems to of late just think its all technique, yet when he had his major seasons his strengths were not his ball striking nor even his short game but his ability to out think his nearest challenger

3 birdies in his first 4 holes this morning. what a swing!

Kwini, I remember you berating POD for his par5 scoring stats before.

Bottom line pros should not be making so many 6s. They should have the accuracy to lay up twice and hit the green with a wedge OR the short game to scramble from greenside in 2 or 3 shots. POD has the short game so what he is doing in between the tee and green lord knows. 6 on a par5 is criminal for a pro. Even I find it a huge let down if I score a 6 on a par 5!

However, he seems to have the par 5s licked today.

Bond seems shaken, not stirred.

4 fours on the Par 5's for Paddy today!!

Maybe he reads 606v2??!! As well he should do!

Shows what a little bit of thinking can do for him on the birdie holes instead of aimlessly just trying to over power them...

On a more realistic note, he will make the cut "on the mark" in a very weak field........no corner turned yet......................

He is just in on the cut line so dependant on the late started that could yet move and see him slip outside the cutline, but I think he should be safe at +1 certainly not the return being hailed in the media.

On a positive note Olly Wilson moved up to -1 needs a big weekend, young Matt Haines at -2 another needing a big finish to his year keep his card in his maiden year

Lairdy, John C,

Let's see if our course management advice works for the weekend - certain to make the cut at +1.

Sorry to see Nick Dougherty back to his old ways, a scolding from Di rather than an interview I'd think. (Kind of funny that he has to hang around for two days at tournaments where he misses the cut (sadly most of them) while she completes her 72-hole broadcasting duties!

I knew she was now Di Dougherty but i NEVER MADE THE CONNECTION with Nick!!

Shout out for Gary Murphy currently at -3 after 7 and hoping to make his first ET cut in well over a year id say...................

Tom Lewis fighting back on day 2, made it to -3 at the turn to get to -1 for the week, tale of the day Robert coles 65 shoots him to the summit at -7 and leader in the clubhouse, keep an eye on last years CT graduate Daniel Gaunt in at -5 knows how to close out an event if he gets the chance.

Cut line moving to +2 at moment and as things stands thats another wasted flight for John Daly who currently resides at +3 with work to do

Whilst over on the CT also a great day for the english with Matthew Baldwin shooting a 63 to lead at -12. Gary Lockerbie shooting a 64 to move upto T4.

Current CT money list #2 Ricardo Santos doing his best to move backwards in the standings, with him now missing the cut this week, that makes it 2 weeks in a row he has failed to make it to the weekend.

Then there's frencham Alexis Noudeu proping up the field with back to back rounds of 80 at least he's consistent and it's far better than the scores propping the board up last week in Russia

Daly finally birdies a par 5, but is still four over par on the holes which should be his strength.
Shades of PH and LW.

Daly withdraws - just as if he's on the PGA Tour. Doesn't like the way things are going so gets on his bike and takes his ball home.
Sure we'd all like to see him rediscover his best. But just about time he earned the free ride he seems to get.

Re: Daly, i think it's all getting a little boring, same story living off past glory getting invites and travelling round like a beggar with a bowl, then when it's not going his way toys go out of his loudmouth pram.

I hadn't realised that Daly stomped off the course after a row with an official over a disputed drop - at least, that is what the Beeb is reporting.

The man isin't worthy of invites just coz he's different.............Alex Higgins was a pain in the a**e to all involved in snooker and he got treated as he should have ie the same as everyone else. Daly gets invites because of he's a "character"..........that's wrong...........

Just because he is a major winner, does he have automatic invitations to all regular ET tournaments???

It's not very good when a Senior Pro says Daly's behaviour put him off the rest of his round. Would think sanctions are certain.

On a positive note, the tournament is wide open going into the weekend.

Andy McPhee was the official who dealt with the TIO mis-drop by Daly. McPhee remained patient and courteous at all times when dealing with him. Pretty commendable really. I'd have wrapped a club around Daly's neck!

Tommy Fleetwood is chuntering along nicely.
More or less guaranteed his tour card after the last few weeks on the challenge tour.
He took a different route than the Walker Cup boys and it does not seem to have done him any harm.

The Young and the Old.
Lots of older guys with a chance to resurrect their career:
Kenneth Ferrie - thought his goose was cooked when he walked off the PGA Tour.
Orr - wasn't he the bomber pilot in Catch-22 who had flies in his eyes? How does he know he's got flies in his eyes if he's got flies in his eyes?
Jolly Haeggman, the first Swedish Ryder Cupper, back in about 1970.
Wakefield Trinity
Philip bloody Golding - too many hops recently.
Gary Murphy
And the Forsyth Saga.

Indeed Fleetwood has gone about his pro career in fine fashion earning his spurs instead of trying to make it off invites. No right or wrong way but I'd rather have the experience of winning and top finishes the fleetwood way. Can help when things get tough. Helps that his main rival for top honours on CT has missed back to back cuts

Mav~ Re Tommy Fleetwood.
Had a nice wee chat with him and his dad at Turnberry a couple of years ago at the British. I was very impressed with both of them. He had his dad on the bag for the last few weeks and it seems to have made all the difference.
Dad just carries the bag and does no offer any golfing advice.
Two under today so far.

Doon, Mav,
Is the Andy Sulivan who's just finished work in Austria the Walker Cup Sullivan?

English and Henley both made the Nationwide cut but had so-so Saturdays.

Looks like Fleetwood has the right recipe right now - good finish here would cap off quite the run.

Time for Luiten to win one I would think...
You can never rule out the Mechanic wherever he goes, but seems you can more or less rule out Padraig anywhere he goes these days...

Well, in the end both Luiten and Wakefield failed to secure their 1st wins, but Ferrie got his 3rd instead...

And a top 10 finish for young Lewis in his 1st tournament as a pro! What a great start!

Yes, a fantastic result for Tom Lewis.

Could someone please remind me what he needs to do to earn a tour card for next year? It appears he won c.€18k for last week's feat. Is it somehow tiered so that he could qualify for ET, and failing that but subject to some other hurdge Challenge Tour, and then failing that Q School?

He needs about 200,000 euros to earn his card.

Not sure I agree with this invites for the Walker Cuppers that turn pro just so they can try an earn their cards for next season. Take away the fact that sponsors know they may draw a crowd, but it seems to be a given now that half the WC squad get invited to all the big end of season events.

I'm not sure how that makes the guys lower down who earned their cards at Q schoold or through the Challenge Tour feel. I bit cheated I would expect.

I mean take this weeks Dunhill Links, there's half the Walker Cup squad invited, places in one of the biggest event of the year taken away from lower ranked players.

I believe top 116 on the ET money get the card but that does not get them in to the bigger events.
Fair comment JPX only defence is that someone would get the sponsors invites if it wasnt the WC boys.probably Coltart/Daly and the like.

dynamark

Not sure how the invites work but there seems to be an awful lot more this week than normal. There's usually only about 5 invites, this week there's 20, with the prize money that's on offer, one of the lower ranked guys could have had a high finish, card securing result taken away from them.