NEW DAD MANLEY RETAINS PLAYING CARD
IT’S been an exciting couple of weeks for Aberdare golfer Stuart Manley.
Just days after securing qualification to compete on the main European tour next year, he flew off to Melbourne to represent Wales in the World Cup of Golf alongside Bradley Dredge.
Prior to qualification, Manley was looking at a difficult 2017 after failing to accrue enough ranking points during the season to retain his playing card.
That meant a shootout at Q School, where 30 cards were on offer to hundreds of golfers desperate to retain their status.
One bad round there would have meant a year of golfing anonymity, with his earning power hugely diminished.
For Manley, whose wife Nicola is expecting their first child, that meant some sleepless nights.
But the 37-year-old, ranked 881st in the world, secured one of the cards and will join compatriots Bradley Dredge and Jamie Donaldson on the main tour next season.
Manley says the pressure of qualifying took a big toll on him and his family.
“I feel amazing,” he told the BBC. “I haven’t really been able to sleep with the excitement of getting a full card back.
“I have been there a few times before and Q School is a nerve-wracking time. You don’t sleep very well – you can’t really concentrate on anything else.
“If you don’t get through, you are almost not working for the following year. So financially, there is a lot of pressure.
“I have just moved house, have bills to pay and a first baby on the way, so there was a lot of pressure.
“I think the family get more nervous than me, scanning the internet. I think they worry more than me.
“Nicola can take a year off work now with the baby coming. It is our first baby and hopefully they can travel with me a bit as well.
“I am delighted that I can now look forward to 2017 on the European Tour.”