Only way is up for Gavin after he keeps European Tour card
PETALING JAYA: It may not have been a perfect ending but national No. 1 golfer Gavin Kyle Green has taken plenty of positives from his solid debut season on the European Tour.
The 24-year-old failed in his lastditch attempt to qualify for the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai this week as he could only finish 84th in the Race to Dubai standings.
Only the top 60 finishers get to tee up in the US$8mil (RM33.5mil) event.
Gavin needed a top-five finish at the just-concluded Nedbank Golf Challenge in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday to bag him enough points to break into the top 60.
He, however, could only muster a four-day total of seven-over 295 at the Gary Player Country Club to be joint 57th – 22 shots behind winner Lee Westwood of England.
Still, Gavin has many reasons to be optimistic as he was able to keep his European Tour card by virtue of being the top 101 finishers in the Race to Dubai rankings.
Gavin became the first-ever Malaysian to compete a full season on the European Tour after earning a Category 16 exemption status – thanks to his Asian Tour Order of Merit triumph last year.
“It has been a pretty good year for me, I’ve kept my card!” said Gavin, who represented Malaysia at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
“I would have loved to have made it to Dubai but it is what it is.”
It was still a decent outing for Gavin, highlighted by his thirdplace finish at the Czech Masters in August.
His other top-10 finish was a tied ninth at the British Masters in October. Gavin was also well rewarded in
€ cash by collecting 548,819 (RM2.58mil) — from the 30 starts he made this season.
Finishing 84th in the Race to Dubai will also propel him to a higher Category 9, meaning he would have access to most of the European Tour tournaments next year.
“Being in my category (16), I had to play almost everything I could get into and I guess that paid off,” he said.
“Next season will see me in a higher category which means I can better plan and approach my tournaments.
“Gavin also believes he has become a much improved golfer after his exposure in the highly competitive tour, which is second only to the US PGA Tour.
“I’ve learnt a lot this year, as this was my first year playing a full schedule in Europe, adapting to the various conditions, different golf courses and it has definitely changed my perspective on golf,” said Gavin.
“The level of play is very high and there is a lot of hard work that needs to be put in to compete at this level.
“As far as my game is concerned, I’ve definitely improved, especially in my ball striking. There are some areas I will need to work on during the off season, just so that I can have more control and be more consistent.”
Up next for Gavin is the World Cup of Golf where he will team up with Ben Leong to fly Malaysia’s flag in the 28-nation contest in Australia.
The US$7mil (RM29.3mil) biennial tournament will be held at the Metropolitan Golf Club in South Oakleigh from Nov 22-25.