Monday 8 February 2016 17:15, UK
England's Jimmy Mullen says playing on the Challenge Tour is a great place to start his career after failing to get his card in the final stage of European Tour qualifying school.
After turning pro in September following an heroic performance at the Walker Cup, Mullen made a big impact on his professional debut.
Having become the fourth player in Walker Cup history to win all four matches, Mullen led after the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after posting a first-round 64 at Kingsbarns.
The 22-year-old from Devon held the lead two days on the trot before finishing tied 30th alongside South African duo Branden Grace and Justin Walters.
The year was going absolutely amazing then it all just came crashing down at the end
Once he got through the first qualifying stage for the European Tour, it wasn't long before Mullen picked up his maiden victory. Only two months after turning professional, he won the second qualifying stage of Q-School at Campo de Golf El Slater in November.
But only one week later he failed to make the cut at the final stage of qualifying school. Despite initial success, Mullen was upbeat about learning from his mistakes while on the Challenge Tour.
"I put so much effort into making the Walker Cup team and did great," he said. "I then played great at the Dunhill. The year was going absolutely amazing then it all just came crashing down at the end.
"But you've got to learn from it and move on. I've got to learn to play professional golf somewhere and the Challenge Tour is going to be a great place for me to start.
"A lot of great players started there and I don't see the problem with me starting there and learning my trade there."
The first event of the Challenge Tour is not until Marcy 17 in Kenya and Mullen has used the extra time over the winter working on his driving in particular.
"It's always been a weakness of mine," he said. "When I was at qualifying school I played with Edoardo Molinari and he told me the importance of driving. So this winter I've mainly been focusing on getting my driving in play more often as that's what lost me getting my card that week.
"I'll play the first seven or eight and hopefully I'll play well and get a good ranking. My goal is to finish top 50 so I can play on the European Tour next year.
His ambitions reach beyond the European Tour, but Mullen remains practical about the road ahead.
"I really want to play on the PGA Tour but I want to learn a lot before I'm headed in that direction." he said. "I need to get my European Tour card first and establish myself, learn a lot there and one day hopefully move to the PGA Tour.
"Since I was seven the one tournament I wanted to win was the green jacket so to play there one day would be amazing. But I've got a long way to go before that happens just yet."
Mullen will not be without familiar company when he joins the Challenge Tour, as many of his fellow Walker Cup team-mates also hope to get their European Tour card by the end of the year.
"There's going to be six of us I think playing on the Challenge Tour from the Walker Cup so we can play practice rounds together and it will be in the same company we've had for the last three or four years," he added.
"My plan is to travel a lot with Ashley Chesters this year. We've become great friends through England golf and during our first year we can travel together. It just makes it a lot easier, more friendly atmosphere and it will still feel like we are playing amateur golf which I think might help us."
Jimmy was speaking at the announcement of Bridgestone UK's hat-trick of golf sponsorships at Heythrop Park. The tyre manufacturer is the official partner of the European Tour British Masters, the Bridgestone Challenge, a Challenge Tour event, and the Bridgestone DriveGuard Trophy.
