Dougherty And Archer Miss Out On Cards In Challenge Tour Finale

It was a roller coaster finale this week on the Challenge Tour, as the 45 players arrived at the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final looking to claim one of 20 European Tour cards. 

But it was arguably those who missed out that will grab the headlines when the dust settles. Three-time European Tour winner Nick Dougherty was the biggest of those names, finishing 39th and some €20k back from the last qualifying spot.

Fellow Englishman Phillip Archer also missed out in 25th, only €702 back; while 2010 U.S. Amatuer champion Peter Uihlein also narrlowly missed out.

There were also some uplifting tales, such as that of James Busby, who described his day as “the stuff of dreams”. He pulled off a miracle at San Domenico by climbing from 45th place – the last place which qualified for the Grand Final – to claim a card for The European Tour by finishing 16th in the Rankings.

The Englishman’s final round of 66 came courtesy of a back nine flourish which yielded four birdies and moved him into tied second place for the tournament, one shot behind winner Espen Kofstad.

The 26 year old, who suffered a car accident one month after turning professional eight years ago, leaving him out of action for two years, was dumbstruck when he learned that he had made the climb into the top 21.

It came courtesy of a nerveless six-foot putt for par at the 18th. “That putt at the last just summed up how I was feeling for the entire back nine – absolutely petrified,” Busby joked. “I was very nervous standing over that and I couldn’t really feel anything. I was just very happy and very relieved to see it roll in.

“I said to my girlfriend, who’s caddying for me, at the start of the week that we’re just here to enjoy it and try to make a few quid. I’ve done that and come out with a European Tour card to boot. It’s the stuff of dreams really. Up until today I was thinking about preparing for the Qualifying School, so I can’t really put into words how delighted I am right now.”

Seve Benson was another player who experienced the joy of making a jump into the top-20 at the 11th hour, his final round 68 moving him to tied-seventh spot for the tournament and to 20th place from 28th in the Rankings.

“I am just shocked actually,” said the Englishman on hearing the news that he had made the grade. “I didn’t think I would get anywhere near to be honest. It is great news though. I am really happy. This is certainly somewhere I can start from for next year and get results early on, and I’m looking forward to it. I definitely think I am a better player now that I was in previous years, especially mentally.”

Justin Walters also moved into 15th spot in the Rankings from 23rd after finishing in tied fifth place, while Max Kieffer and Eddie Pepperell improved on their positions after positive finishes in Italy, moving from 18th to 13th and 20th to 14th in the Rankings, respectively.

Other names to look out for in 2013 include Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg, who took four wins in seven starts on the Challenge Tour this season and Magnus Carlsson, who earned €225,399 in 10 events on the European Tour, to finish 97th on the Race To Dubai standings and automatically seal his card.

Final Challenge Tour Rankings

1 Espen Kofstad (Norway) €131,099
2 Kristoffer Broberg (Sweden) €126,508
3 Andreas Harto (Denmark) €121,999
4 Joachim B Hansen (Denmark) €120,085
5 Gary Lockerbie (England) €117,482
6 Magnus A Carlsson* (Sweden) €110,487
7 Simon Wakefield (England) €108,593
8 Alessandro Tadini (Italy) €101,428
9 Alexandre Kaleka (France) €95,944
10 Chris Doak (Scotland) €92,730
11 Scott Henry (Scotland) €90,688
12 Chris Paisley (England) €74,485
13 Eddie Pepperell (Enlgand) €72,378
14 Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) €70,243
15 Justin Walters (South Africa) €69,913
16 James Busby (England) €67,350
17 Gary Stal (France) €66,580
18 Mark Tullo (Chile) €66,436
19 Morten Orum Madsen €65,338
20 Seve Benson (England) €65,149
21 Daniel Brooks (England) €64,776

Other

25 Phillip Archer (England) €64,074
26 Peter Uihlein (America) €61,211
39 Nick Dougherty (England) €44,683

*already qualified through European Tour ranking