Jed Neill
ENGLISHMAN Sam Horsfield cruised to victory at the Qualifying School Final Stage in Tarragona.
The 21-year-old, who turned pro last year, went into the final round with a comfortable lead.
Horsfield scored 63 winning an impressive 27 under par with eight shots left to clear, to secure his European Tour card in style.
“All these experiences add up,” he said afterwards.
“I am not sure I can say I envisaged being here when I first started this journey at First Stage but I feel as though my game has been good for a while and it really came together this week.”
The Brit dropped only five shots over 108 holes, drawing praise from Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter who later tweeted to congratulate Horsfield.
He said: “I’m extremely impressed just like I was 7 years ago with this young man. European Tour Q School is a daunting week. Many congratulations to now being employed and I hope you enjoy the new job.”
The dramatic tournament at Lumine Golf Club saw 33 players fighting for their right to play on the European Tour next season.
Two-time PGA winner Anders Hansen regained his card after returning 66 to share second place with Jacques Kruyswijk, Andrea Pavan, Pontus Widegren, Jeff Winther and England’s Charlie Ford.
After turning pro just two months ago, Connor Syme finished on 17 under par with Mark Foster.
Seven-time winner on the European Tour, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano regained his card with the help of fellow Spaniard Alvaro Quiros.
But not everyone secured a place and the former European Tour winners who missed out included Johan Edfors, Tom Lewis, Julien Quesne and Gary Stal.
