The second Stage of European Tour Q School begins this week. Matt Cooper previews the action.
The second Stage of European Tour Q School begins this week. Matt Cooper examines the main storylines
I'm torn when it comes to Qualifying School season.
Part of me knows that it is golfing sado-masochism and yet another part of me knows that if I am anything, I am a committed golfing voyeur.
Yes, I like watching good golf, but what is the special ingredient that golf has which other sports don't? It's the slow tick-tick of pressure, the tightening of the tension and, ultimately, the fact that some poor schmuck self-implodes on a Sunday. I don't actually want someone to fail (I'm not all bad, I'd rather they suffer and fall over the finishing line) but in admitting I like that particular aspect of the game I have to accept that some will win and others will lose. That's how it is, that's why I like it.
And nowhere is the drama and tension of golf greater than at Q School. I attended it once (in the middle of a holiday of all things) and it was extraordinary. It was hard to watch at times. Hard, but I sneaked a look. That's what voyeurs do.
Second Stage of the European Tour Q School begins in Spain this week - four fields across the country, each and every player in them desperate for the opportunity to play Final Stage at PGA Catalunya in a couple of weeks time.
Here's a rundown of the better stories to keep an eye out for:
The fresh-faced youngsters - best represented by the two English lads
Eddie Pepperell and
Tom Shadbolt who, together with their one-time team-mate Tommy Fleetwood, make up a trio who sound more like characters from a 1950s kitchen sink drama but are, in actual fact, precocious and ambitious talents. Pepperell (20) and Shadbolt (23) proved as much when opting to turn professional rather than seek qualification for the Walker Cup. English golf has churned out the young talent in recent years and these two will be hoping to rejoin their one-time England team-mates Fleetwood and Tom Lewis on the main tour sooner rather than later.
The man who would be king - Sweden's
Niklas Lemke turned pro a couple of years ago after a stellar amateur career and a spell at Arizona State University (one of the hottest breeding grounds in college golf) that had observers predicting big things for him. Even after a tough start his college coach Randy Lein told me in 2010 that "he was the most talented player I worked with (and) he will work his way up to world class ... it's not a question of if but when." Times have been tough but he was third in the Nordea Masters on the European Tour this year and his name should not be forgotten just yet.
The Europro Tour champion - England's
Chris Hanson enjoyed a superb 2011 season which saw him collect three titles on the third tier Europro Tour on the way to topping the Order of Merit. He's reinvigorated after having to take a break from tour life last year (due to lack of sponsorship), is recently signed to ISM and will be looking to maintain the upward curve.
The hot-head - French golf is currently flying, with winners on the main and Challenge Tours plus a Ryder Cup to look forward to in 2018. A couple of years ago 2007 Challenge Tour number one
Michael Lorenzo-Vera looked set to be at the forefront of this action but he lost his card and has drifted for two years. He looks like the younger, thinner brother of Jason Dufner and is very talented. If he can sort his temper out, he can still thrive.
The old-timer - 49-year-old
Santiago Luna first played Q School in 1983 and is trying to reach his twelfth Final Stage. That makes the Spaniard's career sound like a bit of a slog but he has not spent all of it banging his head against the main stage door. True, he only has only won once (in 1995 in Madeira) but he did once defeat Tiger Woods whilst representing Spain in the Dunhill Cup, has made over 500 European Tour appearances and has banked over €3.3 million career earnings so he's not exactly a pauper.
The journeyman -
Iain Pyman enjoyed a brief glimpse of the high table but has never really secured himself on the main tour. The English winner of the 1992 British Amateur he played with Arnold Palmer at the following years Masters, but since turning pro he has proved himself too good for the Challenge Tour (where he has eight wins) but not quite capable of staying on the main tour (he's only twice made the top 100).
Skybet are offering odds at all four locations and there are a couple of players worth considering.
The next big thing - there is not much that the 22-year-old American
Peter Uihlein hasn't achieved in the amateur game. He's been world number one, the 2010 US Amateur champion, a Walker Cup winner in 2009 (with a 100% personal record) and has played in the Masters, the Open and the US Open. His dad is CEO of Acushnet (i.e. Titleist) and he's been in Sports Illustrated; in other words, he's viewed as something special. He's entered both this and the PGA Tour Q School but has stated he won't turn pro until after the 2012 college season is completed. That extra freedom might give him an edge over the field at Costa Ballena and 28/1 makes each way appeal.
The Nordea Tour champion - Sweden's
Jens Dantorp has had a superb 2011 season on the Scandinavian third tier tour and now might be the time for him to step up in class. He claimed four wins and ended the season in storming style with his last six starts all reaping top six finishes (five of them top three). What stands him apart from Hanson (and the EPD Tour's top ranked player, Holland's Reinier Saxton) is his price. Hanson is 18/1 at El Valle, Saxton 20/1 at La Manga, but Dantorp is a more attractive each way option of 33/1 at El Valle.
