The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Warren nail-biting finish
Scot gets his Euro card back but not before drama at the 17th
The relief was palpable for Glasgow golfer Marc Warren yesterday as he claimed his place on the European Tour next season after coming through the final qualifying stage at Tarragona in Spain.
The Scot lost his playing privileges and was left to face the six-round play-off to regain them.
A three-under-par 68 in his final round was enough for him to finish 17 under and claim one of the places on the tour for 2019.
It is an experience he would gladly avoid in the future.
He said: “This is the first time I’ve been in contention for a card like this and I underestimated how tough it is really.
“You have no idea what you need to do and your focus is on trying to keep moving forward somehow, someway and not make mistakes along the way.
“You learn the right things, hopefully, and this week I’ve shown a level of patience I’ve never been great at in the past.
“Patience and commitment to the shots were in my head all week and pretty much every shot I stood over commitment was going through my head. I saw guys 18 and 20 under par after three rounds and I had to convince myself it was a marathon, not a sprint.”
Warren’s route to securing his card was not without incident, however, as he endured a nightmare on his penultimate hole. He said: “At 16 I was disappointed not to make birdie which I felt would have given me a buffer. At 17 I hit a decent shot but finished up with a horrible sandy lie on the edge of the bunker and I had an awkward stance.
“As I was on the downswing on the edge of the bunker my foot totally gave way and I had to try to stop the club hitting the ball.
“I was unclear, as the club went above the ball and past it, whether it was a penalty shot or not and in my head I was telling myself I made a doublebogey to ensure I stayed as aggressive on the last and thankfully it was not a penalty shot as the club was a foot higher than the ball. I felt as if I was in the scorer’s office for a week there.”
Grantown’s Duncan Stewart suffered anguish as he missed out by a shot with his 68 leaving him just outside the card mark at 15-under.
Speaking before play had concluded Stewart said: “I gave it my all and I’m absolutely gutted to come up one shot short over 108 holes but congratulations to the 27 guys who made it.”