BENJAMIN Poke

Benjamin Poke’s six-shot victory at the 2019 European Tour Qualifying School was one of the biggest in recent history. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

completed an emphatic six-stroke victory at the final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School, running away with the title as 28 players European Tour cards for 2020.

The Dane, who led from the second round at Lumine Golf Club, was in complete control throughout the marathon test.

He broke 70 each day to post rounds of 67, 67, 69, 67, 69 and 64 and seal victory ahead of three-time European Tour winner Grégory Havret, who came second on 19-under.

Poke, who finished 29th on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca in his rookie season, said: “To play on the European Tour is something that you always dream about when you are young. So to finally stand here with my card is unbelievable.

“I know that when I get it going I can shoot really low and that I’m playing well, but I was still really nervous going out there this morning.

“I kept trusting my game and trusted my swing and my game plan. I never relaxed though, because I know that anything can happen in this game, so it was a matter of just taking things one shot at a time.

“Some weeks on the Challenge Tour this year, I gave myself a good shot at lifting a title and unfortunately got beaten. But they were good weeks and good performances.

“Before this week I knew I had developed my game a lot since last year,” added Poke.

“I was happy to reach the Road to Mallorca Grand Final and I was thinking that anything I managed to do this week was a bit of a bonus.

“I managed to keep that mentality all week and not get too far ahead of myself – just focus on the day in hand.

“I’m planning to celebrate this moment for a while. You work so hard and then there are times when you are struggling and it’s not easy.

“But you’ve got to get up and carry on and celebrate the good times when they happen,” said Poke, who has graduated at the third attempt at Qualifying School.

The 27-year-old will be joined on the top tier by 18-year-old countryman Rasmus Højgaard, who overcame an opening-round 74 to finish in a share of fifth place on 16-under.

Højgaard, whose twin brother Nicolai finished in 51st place, said: “It feels amazing to have my European Tour card. It’s been such a long week to get it done feels very special.”

But despite his own success, as a typical twin, his thoughts were for Nicolai, having played in the Junior Ryder Cup together in 2018, they will not be on Tour together in 2020.

Rasmus said: “I kind of knew once Nicolai was on the back nine that he wasn’t going to get his card.

“It’s sad that he isn’t going to get his card and that we won’t be together on the European Tour next year but that’s just how it is sometimes.

“I can play good for a few weeks and then he can come in with a good few weeks. It’s different almost every week and that is how golf is sometimes.

“When I hit my tee shot on 17 then I knew that I was going to be OK and I just relaxed a little, and thought ‘I’ve got this now’ and to get a good drive away on the 18th was huge.”

It was a good day for the English as Somerset’s Laurie Canter finished sixth, 2013 Amateur Champion Garrick Porteous 12 14th, and EuroPro Tour graduates Marcus Armitage and David Coupland finished 16th and 21st respectively, while Sussex’s Toby Tree was in 24th spot

Essex’s Dale Whitnell, who finally broke his duck on the European Challenage Tour after a decade of trying by wining the KPMG Trophy two months ago, grabbed the last card in a share of 25th after making a birdie at the last.

But none of the five Scots who made the 72-hole cut could earn a card.

Europro Tour winner Daniel Young missed out by a shot despite finishing biride, birdie, while Craig Howie was 34th.

Three-time European Tour winner Marc Warren was 53rd while Ewen Ferguson was after a level-par sixth round ended his hopes of a late run.

Amateur Championship finalist Euan Walker, who turned pro after playing agianst the USA in the Walker Cup, at Royal Liverpool, in September, finished in 59th – his opening 67 was his only sub-70 round of the week.

All five Scots will be playing on the Challenge Tour in 2020 after earning full playing rights on the satellite tour.

Kim grabs card after thrilling 63

THE promise of a thrilling conclusion to the Final Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School was fulfilled again on the Lakes Course, as American Sihwan Kim carded an eight-under par final round of 63 to jump 38 places.

The 30-year-old who finished the tournament with a European Tour card in hand, as he cemented a share of 17^th place.

Kim, the 2004 US Junior Champion, who was making his fifth visit to European Tour Qualifying School, said: “I knew I had to post a number.

“So I just went out there really aggressive, took the right lines and just swung at it.

“I’ve been in Europe for a while now, since 2012, so this is nothing new to me. I’m pretty tired but pretty happy about the score I posted.

“I knew what I had to do and I knew I had to post a really good number today so I just went out there and did it,” added Kim, who finished 133rd on the Race to Dubai, forcing his trip to Spain.

Kim’s fellow American Johannes Veerman also completed an impressive turnaround at the death.

After opening the week with a pair of 74s, the 27-year-old came storming back to close with rounds of 67, 67, and two 66s, to end the tournament on 14-under – booking his ticket to the European Tour with a tied 13^th place finish.

The greatest excitement was delivered by Rikard Karlberg, who holed a 50-foot putt on the 108^th and final hole to finish in a tie for 25^th place, picking up the last available European Tour card.

The emphatic end to the gruelling tournament completed an emotional comeback for the Swede, who returned to professional golf in 2019 following a battle with a serious infection and depression.

Karlberg said: “I hit my second shot a bit further away from the pin than I wanted and had around 50 feet for birdie.

“I had a feeling all day that the number would be 12-under, so I knew I needed to hole it.

“When I hit it, I thought it should be good and then I saw it was tracing the line perfectly – and saw the speed – and thought ‘come on, just reach’.

“The euphoria I felt was just happiness. I don’t think anyone really likes this week. It’s horrible,” Karlberg added.

“It’s pressure all week and you’re walking with tension and you don’t have much room for error.

“This week has been so frustrating with my putter. I missed so many putts and then to be able to hole that one when I needed, it just feels fantastic.

“I think I am a better golfer now than I was then. I’ve played a few years on Tour, and I’ve learned about the pressure and I’ve learned that you need to hit the shots – even if you’re nervous.”

French quartet graduate at Qualifying School

THE French quartet of Havret, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Adrien Saddier and Robin Sciot-Siegrist all booked their tickets – equalling the record for the number of French players to graduate from Qualifying School.

Havret, who was runner-up to Graeme McDowell at the 2010 US Open, said: “I’ve missed the European Tour since last year.

“And even though I had a great time playing on the Challenge Tour this season it was make-or-break for me this week in terms of my career.

“So it’s a big relief to secure my card this week,” said the three-time European Tour winner, who dedicated the promotion to his wife.

“Our wives, so much of the time, are the most important people around us and that’s certainly the case for me.

“She wants me to go out there and live my passion as best I can, and she has always supported me with that, so this achievement is for her.

‘’I’m turning 43 on Monday so I don’t have too long left in my caree,” Havret added.

“But I’m going to take the positives from this week and come back out on the Tour a little bit fresher – and enjoy being back in the company of my friends on the European Tour.”

Welshman Bradley Dredge, who has two wins on the European Tour, retained his playing rights after finishing 122nd on the Race to Dubai.

The 46-year-old finished in 20th place after finishing under par on all six days – a feat achieved by just eight players in the field.

The 2019 European Tour Qualifying School was contested over 252 holes in three stages across 14 different venues.

A record number of 1,063 entrants bid for one of the coveted European Tour cards, surpassing the previous record of 1,026 from 2017.

•For final results at the 2019 European Tour Qualiyfing School click here.

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Benjamin Poke lost one stroke of his three-shot lead at the European Tour Qualifying School at Lumine GC, in Spain’s Tarragona. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

THE battle to earn European Tour playing privileges will go down to the wire with 22 players within three shots of the all-important 25th position.

Meanwhile Benjamin Poke posted a two-under par 69 retain the lead at the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage after 90 holes over five days.

Poke said: “I’ve just tried to approach every round and every day in the same way and just hit one shot at a time.

“A few ups and downs out there but that is golf, and there is no day that is the same, so overall, I’m really happy with today’s performance.

“I was feeling the nerves a little bit at the start, but once I got it going it just felt like another day out on the golf course.

“I was just enjoying playing golf. I had some nice playing partners and we just talked along the way.

“Four back-to-back birdies is always nice to get your game going as well, and I managed to hole the putts over the opening few holes which gave me some good momentum.

“I hit my second shot on the ninth a little right and it managed to plug itself in the edge of the bunker.

“So I got a little bit unlucky there. But I thought ‘that’s just how it is sometimes’ and again I just tried to keep my eye on the next shot.

“The strategy tomorrow is just to keep doing all the same things we’ve been doing all week.

“We have a good game plan on how to approach the course and in that way circumstances don’t really change. So, if we do that, then we will make a good score and we take it as it comes.”

The Dane has set the pace at Lumine Golf Club since the second round and the 26-year-old will head into the final round atop the leaderboard on 18-under.

Poke is currently nine shots inside the cut-off for a European Tour card, with the top 25 and ties earning full playing status for 2020, following the conclusion of Wednesday’s sixth and final round.

Essex’s Dale Whitnell, whose breakthrough win on the Challenge Tour came in September’s KPMG Trophy, sits nervously in the crucial 25th place, alongside Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Caldwell.

Both will desperately want to be at least in that spot come tomorrow. afternoon, while Northumberland’s 2013 Amateur Champion Garrick Porteous is in 20th spot after a second successive 68, also faces an anxious last day.

Poke is two strokes ahead of Finland’s Sami Valimaki and three ahead of Frenchman Adrien Saddier and India’s SSP Chawrasia, who share third place on 15-under.

Valimaki said: “It’s been a really good five days for me, especially today I started really well going two-under on my first four holes, which let me breathe a little bit.

“It wasn’t great to bogey the last hole, but to shoot three-under is pretty good.

“Tomorrow, I just have to feel really comfortable and start again. I’ve been hitting the ball really well, so I’ll just have to keep letting the putter make the short ones and see where it leaves me at the end of the day.”

Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, one of last year’s Qualifying School joint-winners, is one of six men who share fifth place on 14-under.

That group also includes three-time European Tour winner Grégory Havret, Yorkshire’s Marcus Armitage, Sussex’s Toby Tree, Canada’s Aaron Cockerill and Korean Jinho Choi.

Havret, who has won three times on the European Tour since turning pro in 1999, said: “You feel good when you play well, especially in this kind of week.

“It’s long, it’s physically and mentally not easy, but that’s what you have to deal with.

“After last year I still wanted to play golf and I had the opportunity to play the Challenge Tour and I think it’s a great Tour.

“I wanted to play a full year there and try to get back to the European Tour through the Challenge Tour, instead of playing a few European Tour events and a few Challenge Tour events.

“I thought it was good to stick on one Tour, and I really enjoyed it, I must say,” added Havret who beat Phil Mickelson in a play-off to win the 2007 Scottish Open, at Loch Lomond, and was runner-up in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach.

“To be tied fifth after five rounds of a professional golf tournament is pretty good, but there are still 18 holes to go and anything can happen,” said Havret.

“The important thing is that I keep focusing on the same things I have all season on the Challenge Tour and all week here at Q-School.”

Aaron Cockerill, who has had two top fives on the Challenge Tour this year, said: “It was a good finish with the eagle at the last.

“It’s funny, I shot one worse today than I did yesterday, but I feel so much better because yesterday I was six-under through 10, and kind of bled in.

“And today, I was four-under on the last five holes and it just feels so much better. Now I’m just looking forward to tomorrow,” said the 27-year-old who has been playing on the PGA Cananda Tour.

Somerset’s Laurie Canter is well placed in 12th place after an excellent 66 while Lincolnshire’s David Coupland, a graduate from the EuroPro Tour in 2018, is in 20th, on 10-under.

Fichardt jumps 50 places after superb 64

THE biggest mover of the day was five-time European Tour winner Darren Fichardt, who posted a sublime seven-under par 64 to move from the cut-line into a tie for 16th place.

Fichardt said: “I needed that, big time. The first few rounds have been very frustrating.

“I’ve been playing well and simply haven’t been making the putts, so it was nice to hit a few really close and have some tap-in birdies on the front nine – and then just close it out on my back nine.

“I just wanted to keep giving myself the chances this morning and hope that the putts kept dropping, so I did better than that.

“My front nine was really tricky, it was really windy so for me to turn in five under was unbelievable really.

“I was just trying to be more aggressive and pitch it closer to the hole – and I found myself hitting it in really close,” added Fichardt.

That leap up the leaderboard offers the South African a great opportunity to regain his playing privileges after finishing 130th this year in the Race to Dubai.

Forty-four-year-old Fichardt has five wins on the European Tour since 2001 – including the Joburg Open two years ago, but finished 130th on the Race to Dubai with his winner’s exemption ending this month.

While those near the top of the leaderboard will be looking to consolidate their position during the final round of the tournament, there are still plenty of players aiming for a last-minute breakthrough into the top 25.

Kent’s Steven Tiley and Spain’s Pedro Oriol both carded three-under par 68s to move into a tie for 33rd place, just one stroke outside the top 25, while Ireland’s Niall Kearney and Scotland’s Daniel Young each posted four-under par 67s to join the group on the cusp of the qualification spots.

The final round will begin at 8am UK time on Wednesday, when the top 25 players and ties after the close of play will earn life-changing European Tour cards for the 2020 season.

•For live scoring from the final round at Lumine, click here.

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Californian John Catlin flew to Spain fresh from his Asian Tour win in Thailand in his bid to win a full European Tour card. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

AMERICAN John Catlin carded a flawless six-under par 65 to charge into an early lead at European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, at Spain’s Lumine Golf Club.

Catlin came into the event less than a week after securing his fourth Asian Tour victory, in Thailand, and continued in the same form.

He recorded six birdies and 12 pars on the Lakes Course as he looks to secure an immediate return to the European Tour, having earned starts in 2019 via the Asian Order of Merit.

Catlin said: “It’s only one of six rounds and it’s definitely a nice way to start but there’s still a long way to go.

“I remember liking this track at last year’s event and the Hills was the course I definitely struggled on, so to come out and take full advantage of that was a good way to start.

“Winning my fourth title on the Asian Tour and to win in Thailand where I’ve been living for the past three years was a great feeling.

“I know if I can take care of what I can take care of then I’ve got every chance of contending and I’ve given myself the best chance possible.

“It’s been absolutely fantastic to compete in Europe. It’s made me a better golfer for sure.

“You can see the difference coming from the Asian Tour to the European Tour, which is the next step up and the margin of error is just that much smaller.”

The 29-year-old Californian admitted he relished the opportunity to compete in Europe for the first time this season.

His best finish was a tie for 12th at the Made in Denmark but knows there is still a long way to go before he seals his 2020 playing rights in the six-round contest in Tarragona.

Catlin will begin the second round with a one-shot advantage over a group of six players on five-under.

It includes 2018 Final Stage joint-champion Alejandro Cañizares, Dane Benjamin Poke, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Finland’s Sami Valimaki, Sussex’s Toby Tree and Italian Lorenzo Scalise.

Poke, who finished 29th on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca last week, said: “It’s always nice to get off to a good start.

“It’s my first time at Final Stage and I’ve heard from some of the other guys, especially some of the Danes, how long a week it is.

“As always, tournaments are not won on day one but I’m certainly very happy to get off to a good start,” said the 28-year-old. “Hopefully I can continue in the same mindset.

“Coming from the Nordic Golf League last year and playing in Category 13 on the Challenge Tour, I felt like I had a good season by making it to the Grand Final.

“And from hereon in, everything I do this week is just a bonus. It’s quite a nice place to be, I think, and obviously you’re still trying to do as well as you can.

“The nerves are still going to be there because it means something to you,” added Poke.

“My goal is to take every day at a time and every shot at a time – it’s a cliché but that’s the thing.”

Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, who played the Challenge Tour after turning pro in 2004, but lost his European Tour card in 2013, said: “I haven’t been playing anymore, I’ve just been teaching golf.

“I went to First Stage just for fun and I made it to Second Stage – and now I’m here, so I’m back playing.

“I love playing golf. I played poorly at the end of my career so it was tough for me to play golf, and I didn’t even want to think about playing golf even with my friends.

“I wasn’t enjoying it very much but I haven’t played for a year or so, and I’m enjoying it much more, so that’s why I’m here, to have fun.”

Meanwhile France’s Robin Sciot-Siegrist, who narrowly missed out on his European Tour card after finishing 16th at the Challenge Tour Grand Final last week, is a shot back on four-under.

Sciot-Siegrist, who missed out on a European Tour card by just one spot on the Road to Mallorca rankings, said: “I’m really happy with what I did at the Challenge Tour Grand Final.

“I believe that for me, missing the top 15 was not a matter of how I played last week, it was other moments during the year. Last week was my best result of the year.

“Obviously I finished 16th, it was hard to swallow, two years ago I finished 17th – so it’s getting there. I’m improving every year.

“I’m playing this course that I know pretty well, so I just have to continue the way I have been, because it works.”

Sciot-Siegrist was joined on that mark by Germany’s Hurly Long and Italian Aron Zemmer, who won the European Tour Qualifying School Second Stage event at Club de Golf Bonmont, last weekend.

Nine years ago Frenchman Gregory Havret finished runner-up to Graeme McDowell at the US Open at Pebble Beach.

But after finishing 28th on the Road to Mallorca, 42-year-old Havret said after his first round: “It’s been a busy year since the Challenge Tour season began in Turkey.

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Scot Calum Hill secured his second European Challenge Tour victory in the Euram Bank Open dropping just three shots in 72 holes to win by four shots at Austria’s Golf Club Adamstal. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

CALUM Hill carded just three bogeys in 72 holes to win the Euram Bank Open, his second European Challenge Tour title, at Golf Club Adamstal and jump into the top 15 on the Order of Merit.

The Scot added a bogey-free 66, four under par, to his opening rounds of 65-64-67 to reach 18-under par and win by four shots ahead of countryman Ewen Ferguson and Portugal’s José -Filipe Lima, who both finished on 14 under par following final rounds of 64 and 65, respectively.

Prior to this week, Hill had endured a mixed season with two top 10s and three missed cuts from eight starts.

However, a tie for 26th place at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open last week offered glimpses of a return to the type of form which saw him win in only his fifth Challenge Tour start last year, and with his tremendous performance in Austria, he has showed he is truly back to his best.

Hill, a member at Craigie Hall, said, “I’ve been saying it my coach, management team and parents that I’ve felt like my game was in a nice position, but I haven’t been managing it particularly well.

“I wasn’t missing in the correct spot if I was missing or my short game wasn’t tight enough to get up and down all the time, so I was making quite a few errors that were a little uncharacteristic, so my scoring was quite poor.

“There were little glimpses of it coming together with a few low scores, but I’ve tightened it up in the last couple of weeks and I’m scoring a lot better.

“I’m very happy with how the day and the week has gone. It’s fantastic to get another win and not only secure next year but it will hopefully push me forward to finishing in the top 15.”

The 24-year-old, who won the Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open, entered the final round with a three-shot lead from Kent’s Matt Ford in second place.

However that advantage had disappeared by the time the duo reached the fifth tee box following a quick start by the Englishman, but the leaderboard getting tighter only heightened Hill’s focus.

“In my mind, I thought if I got to 20-under, I should win on that number, but three holes in, I was tied,” Hill said.

“Matt had a really good start and we were all square through four holes, so it tightened it up a little and made it more interesting. I had to focus and minimise the errors and make a few birdies along the way to try and give myself a chance.

“I was hitting really nice golf shots, but my putts just weren’t dropping. They weren’t great rolls but I think I eased into my putting a little slower than I eased into my long game.

“I wasn’t worried about not keeping up with Matt because I felt like I could keep plotting away and make fewer errors.

“I figured that if I could get to three or four-under, then he would have to get to eight-under and you’ve got to play great golf to get that deep.”

Ferguson flew up the leaderboard on day four to secure his best Challenge Tour finish of tied second with Lima, both of whom kept the bogeys off the card and in doing so finished one shot clear of Ford, Grégory Havret, Rikard Karlberg and Oliver Lindell – who all shared fourth place on 13-under.

Frenchman Ugo Coussaud and Poland’s Adrian Meronk completed the top 10 having finished on 12-under, with both men carding four-under par rounds of 66.

Meanwhile, two-time European Tour winner Julien Quesne set a new course record at Golf Club Adamstal after signing for a superb nine-under par round of 61, beating the previous record by one.

With his win, Hill jumps to sixth place in the Challenge Tour Rankings while Ferguson’s second place moves him onto the cusp of the top 15, in 17th spot.

After a week’s break in the international schedule, the Challenge Tour will travel to Finland for the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge, from August 1-4.

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Scotland’s Calum Hill who continued his good form at last week’s Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club to lead at the halfway mark when returning to play in the Euram Bank Open on the European Challenge Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

CALUM Hill leads the Euram Bank Open on 11-under par at the halfway stage after posting a bogey-free 64 on day two at Austria’s Golf Club Adamstal.

The Scot added a six-under par round to his opening five-under 65 to overhaul first round leader Marcel Schneider, who heads into the weekend as Hill’s nearest challenger after carding a one-under par second round to leave him two shots back on nine-under

Hill finished as the low Scot at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open – last week’s Rolex Series event – and he has continued that form upon his return to the European Challenge Tour.

Hill said: “I’m happy with how things have panned out over the last couple of days. I’ve hit some nice golf shots and holed some putts so I’m in a nice position.

“I hit a lot of really good golf shots. I hit a poor wedge shot on my second hole, the 11th, which ended up in the right bunker – but I got that up and down and I wasn’t in too much trouble for the rest of the round.

“I had a couple of close looks, missed a handful but also made a couple so it worked out a nice score in the end.

“I hit a really good drive on the last which was just left of the trees and I had 74 yards to the pin and I put it to four feet before rolling that in. So it was nice to sign off the round with that,” Hill added.

The Kirkcaldy native played alongside three-time European Tour winner Grégory Havret, who also posted a six-under 64 to head into the weekend in a tie for 12th, and Hill admitted it helped to have the momentum of playing with someone who was also scoring freely.

Hill, who is attached to Gleneagles, said: “Every single shot Greg hits is of really high quality. It’s always a nice golf shot so you’re never stepping into your one thinking ‘oh gosh!’.

“You’ve always got a good vibe going into your shots, so it is nice to have that momentum in your group.

“I don’t find playing with Greg that different to playing with anyone else, despite his success. He’s just a really nice guy and very chatty, so it’s really relaxing,” said Hill who won last year’s Northern Ireland Open in just his fifth start on the Challenge Tour.

Hill and Havret were only bettered on day two by French duo Edouard Dubois, who posted a seven-under 63, and Antoine Schwartz, who tied the course record of 62 with Marcel Schneider, whose opening effort on day one saw him join Borja Virto on the honours board after the Spaniard set the record in 2018.

Behind Schneider is Kent’s Matt Ford, Switzerland’s Raphael de Sousa, Chle’s Felipe Aguilar, and Finland’s Oliver Lindell, who share third place on eight-under.

Then comes a group of six players on seven-under all tied for seventh, including Dubois and Schwartz, along with fellow Frenchman Joel Stalter, Jordan Mixed Open winner Daan Huzing, Germany’s Nicolai von Dellingshausen and Finn Mikael Salminen.

In total, 69 players survived the 36-hole cut of one under par and the third round will begin at 7.30am local time on Saturday.

For live scoring in the third round click here.

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Royal Cinque Ports’ Steven Tiley completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France, on Sunday, beating Hampshire’s Richard Bland by a shot.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

KENT’S Steve Tiley claimed his first win on the European Challenge Tour with a wire-to-wire victory at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.

The Englishman, playing his 11th season on the Challenge Tour, finished runner-up to last year’s wire-to-wire champion Richard McEvoy.

But 12 months later the former Georgia State University golfer went one better – recording a final one-over par round of 72, for an 11-under par total that sealed a maiden victory by just a shot.

After opening rounds of 64-68-69, the 36-year-old, who lives in Canterbury, held off the challenge from Hampshire veteran Richard Bland to become the third successive Englishman to lift the trophy at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, following in the footsteps of Essex’s McEvoy and Aaron Rai.

Tiley, who played for England as an amateur in 2004 and 2005, said: “It sounds fantastic. I came close last year and finished runner-up to my good friend Maccas, so it was nice to seal the deal this year.

“I was feeling nervous on the first tee. I’d slept on the lead for the last two nights, and that is always hard because you wake up thinking about the different scenarios.

“It’s a tough tee shot on the first hole and I didn’t want to put myself in the bunker or up the lip of it.

“It was a nervous start and I was pretty nervous all day, but I slowly got into the round, playing a few holes without nerves helped a lot,” added the Royal Cinque Ports member.

Tiley’s final round featured four bogeys alongside three birdies as he clinched the victory. However, it was his short game which helped him claim a memorable triumph at a favourable venue.

“I think I only missed five putts inside 10 feet all week, so I holed out really well, which was great,” said Tiley, who beat the likes of fellow future European Tour players Steve Lewton, from Woburn and Surrey’s Ross McGowan to land the South East Schools Championship in 2001 at Welwyn Garden City, the Hertfordshire club where Sir Nick Faldo learned to play the game.

Tiley said: “There were a lot of key saves, but the birdie on 10 was pretty good and that helped me take charge a little bit.

“Early in the round the chip on the eighth was good and that steadied the ship.

“The greens are so small that if you miss them you end up in the rough, which is very difficult, because sometimes the ball will fly and sometimes it’ll end up short. But I played that chip nicely and holed the five-foot putt.”

Earlier in the tournament, Tiley had raced out of the blocks with seven birdies – incluidng five in his first eight holes – in his first round to join Frenchman Robin Sciot-Siegrist at the top of the leaderboard.

Tiley, who had fellow Kent pro Matt Ford in the chasing pack until he faded to finish sixth after a 73, admitted: “It’s been quite a struggle so far this year, so it was nice to come here and start like that.

“If you can limit your mistakes in this game that always helps, so that helped in making a good start.

“I think this course suits my game. I was hitting the ball relatively straight and keeping it in play, and because of that you get a lot of wedge shots, and I’m pretty useful with a wedge in my hand.

“I’ve been practising a little bit more on my strengths within my game and that has shown.”

Bland, whose only Tour win came in the Challenge Tour Grand Final back in 2001, recorded a three-under par 68 to finish runner-up to Tiley, while home favourite Grégory Havret – aiming to become the first French winner of the event – finished a further stroke back in third place on nine-under.

Tiley’s best finish of the season before France had been a share of 45th place in his very first event of the year in the Magical Kenya Open, on the European Tour, which earned him €5,390.

He had missed four cuts in 10 starts on the Challenge Tour and earned just over €3,000 before picking up a cheque for €33,600.

Now he has every chance to earn a full card with 13 more events to compete in before the season’s climax for the top 45 players competing in the 2019 Grand Final.

The top 15 in the European Challenge Tour Order of Merit after the Grand Final, in November, will earn a full card on the European Tour in 2020.

With his win, Tiley jumped up the season-long Challenge Tour Rankings from 126th to 11th, while Bland – who lost his card last season after finishing 163rd on the Race to Dubai – returns to second position.

Bland, who has played 450 times on the Euorpean Tour and sits third in the all-time list of players to have played the most events without a victory with Ross Drummond (490) and David Drysdale (451)

Meanwhile Havret – who finsished runner-up to Graeme McDowell in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, jumped to eighth place from 25th.

The post Tiley takes top spot right to the wire to claim maiden win at Le Vaudreuil Challenge appeared first on Golf North.

Royal Cinque Ports’ Steven Tiley shared the first round lead in the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France after an excellent seven-under par 64. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

KENT’S Steven Tiley and Robin Sciot-Siegrist hold a one-shot lead at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge at the end of round one having carded bogey-free rounds of 64, to top the leaderboard on seven-under par.

Both players made seven birdies during their opening round at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil to share the lead ahead of French pair and European Tour winners Grégory Bourdy and Grégory Havret.

Tiley finished runner-up to wire-to-wire champion Richard McEvoy last year and continued his impressive form on the Le Vaudreuil layout, recording five birdies in his first eight holes.

The Royal Cinque Ports player maintained his consistency on the back nine with two further gains, including one of the 18th to join Sciot-Siegrist in the lead.

“I’m very pleased with today,” said Tiley, who is in his 11th season on the Challenge Tour and has earned his card at the European Tour Qualifying School twice, since turning pro in 2007.

“It’s been quite a struggle so far this year, so it was nice to come here and start like that,” said Tiley, who qualified for the 2004 Open at Royal Troon, as an amateur.

“If you can limit your mistakes in this game that always helps, so that helped in making a good start,” added the former Georgia State University graduate who played for England in 2004 and 2005.

Robin Sciot-Siegrist is looking to add to his sole Euorpean Challenge Tour win in 2017 at the Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Sciot-Siegrist, winner of the 2017 Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open, got off to a quick start with back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes, before following suit with further gains on the sixth and seventh, making the turn at four-under.

The trend of consecutive birdies continued on the back nine, as the 25-year-old extended his advantage on the 12th and 13th and gained his final shot of the day with a delicate up-and-down birdie on the last to lead in the clubhouse at seven under par.

“It was a good round of golf and I played really well throughout the round,” said Sciot-Siegrist. “I made lots of birdies and played really well.

“I thought I was good off the tee and my putting was pretty good as well. I hit a lot of fairways and greens, which helped my chances with the putter, and overall, everything was great.

“It was one of those days where it was great to be on the golf course. The up-and-down felt really good because seven under is quite a low score.

“I was really happy to make the putt on 18 to keep momentum going into tomorrow and hopefully go as low as possible over the next few days.”

Bourdy, who is playing his first full European Challenge Tour season since 2004, signed for a round of 65 to sit one stroke off the leaders, while compatriot Havret lies a further shot back following his five-under round of 66.

The second round of Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge gets under way at 7:40am local time with Tiley teeing off at 9:10am and Sciot-Siegrist at 1:30pm.

•Follow lives scoring today and over the weekend here.

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