Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Life as a pro can feel like walking a tightrope
THE curtain falls on both main tours this month with players now just a couple of tournaments away from a much needed break.
The Houston Open is the penultimate event on the PGA Tour, with the AVIV in Dubai the final regular European Tour outing before next week’s DP World Tour Championship.
This week’s event in the United Arab Emirates is the final counting tournament for a raft of players scrambling to retain their status for next season.
It’s make-or-break time and the pressure will be palpable.
Granted, a safety net is in place because of the pandemic and some guys will hang on to a form of conditional status for 2022, but it is a false economy.
In professional golf, retaining control of your destiny and securing full status is key.
Conditional status doesn’t give you anywhere near the same level of reassurance.
I know a lot was made of Thomas Pieters’ high emotions and crackling voice after the Belgian secured his first win in 27 months at last week’s Portugal Masters.
But the post-round reaction that resonated most with me came from Lucas Bjerregaard after a T2 finish guaranteed the Dane full status for next season.
Lucas, who had recorded just one top 10 finish in his previous two and a half years on the European Tour, broke down in his postround interview. His raw emotions struck a chord and it offered a sharp reminder of the emotional rollercoaster some players experience and have to endure
at this time of year.
Bjerregaard won the Alfred Dunhill Links in 2018 and also beat Tiger Woods in a memorable WGC match play shootout in Texas three years ago.
He has enjoyed several highs since turning professional a decade ago, so the fact he shed tears after saving his card tells you everything you need to know.
“It’s never meant this much to me,” he said in Portugal, wiping tears from his eyes.
“This week, I didn’t even have to say anything to my caddie.
“I could sense it was just him and I against everyone. I did what I came here to do.”
The 30-year-old, who had
missed seven cuts in his previous 15 outings, passed one of his toughest tests in the Algarve and it was written large on his face.
The top-50 in the Race to Dubai after this week’s AVIV Dubai Championship will progress to next week’s lucrative shootout at the DP World Championship.
But the scramble for a top122 finish – the cut-off point for retaining your European Tour card – will be equally as fascinating.
Like Bjerregaard, someone else will go through the wringer this week.
Tears of joy, relief and devastation will fall in the desert.