European Tour shot for Neil and Young
Perthshire golf professionals are hoping experience pays off at European Tour qualifying school.
Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil and Craigie Hill member Daniel Young both teed-up yesterday in Spain looking to advance to final stage.
Neil recently retained his Challenge Tour card after an important performance at the Stone Irish Challenge, where he finished in fourth place on nine-under par.
But he remains determined to return to the top tier of European golf and is in action at Alenda Golf, Alicante.
“If it wasn’t for Ireland then I’d be in Scotland twiddling my thumbs wondering what to do,” Neil explained to the Perthshire Advertiser.
“I feel my game is in a better shape than Ireland so it’s hard not to have high expectations of myself going into this week. It’s nice to have confidence in my game and myself again.
“I played second stage here last year where a fiveunder last round meant I missed out by one shot. I was incredibly low on confidence but this year is much different.
“I think treating it like a normal tournament is the biggest thing. I feel guys come into these weeks and prepare different, make it more important than it is which causes added pressure.
“Everyone around me can sense the effect the Irish finish has had. The positivity, the confidence and the aura is incredibly uplifting.
“I’ve been back in St Andrews for the last few weeks, getting back into the gym, seeing the coach for a few hours throughout the week, playing golf and mainly enjoying it.”
EuroPro Tour player Young, meanwhile, is at Desert Springs Golf Club in Almeria and it’s a course he has become familiar with in recent times.
He even played it last week in the curtain-closing
Tour Championship event, producing four solid rounds to finish in tied sixth.
“I’ve played it a lot over the last couple of years so know plenty about it,” Young said. “You’ve got to be in play off the tee and keep out of the desert. You can’t score from there.
“A fast start any week is key but I feel like qualifying school is a marathon not a sprint.
“But the plan is definitely to try and get some momentum early on in the week and keep pushing from there.
“I played nicely last week and apart from a couple of small hiccups I was happy with how I performed.
“To be in contention is all you can look to do in this game so that was pleasing.
Bradley Neil (left) and Danny Young (inset) are in Spain for stage two
“I feel my game is in good shape and feel comfortable on that golf course, so I am just looking forward to getting started.”
The former Perth Academy student has a wealth of experience at qualifying school and he will look to use that to his advantage.
“You just become more aware of how to get the job done,” he said. “Experience plays a big part and having been there and got through previously will definitely help along the way.
“But at the end of the day it’s just another golf tournament I’ll be trying to win.”
Qualifying school second stage was taking place at four venues this week, concluding on Sunday. Qualifiers advance to next week’s final.