The final hurdle in bid for Tour card

Nov 13 2007 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

TWO young Merseyside golfers face the most important week of their fledgling careers after emerging successfully from the second stage of the European Tour qualifying school.

Paul Waring and Ben Parker, both former England amateur internationals, will now play in the Tour School Final at San Roque as they chase one of the 30 coveted cards to join the lucrative 2008 European Tour.

Success in Spain this week would be a life-changing moment for the two players, who have only turned professional in recent months, and would pitch them into tournaments alongside Liverpool’s Nick Dougherty and Warrington’s Phillip Archer.

There will be 156 players lining up at San Roque from Thursday in six rounds that will decide the 30 exempt players. The field will include Formby Hall’s Lee Slattery, who missed out on retaining his card by less than £60 after a season-long battle on Tour.

Waring, from Bromborough, and Royal Birkdale-attached Parker both came through stage two at Arcos Gardens, where the top 19 finishers would progress.

Parker, who is based in Germany where he won the national amateur title in the summer, finished in a share of sixth after rounds of 73,72,68,68 for a seven under par total of 281.

Waring, the 2005 English Amateur champion, had to battle back from a potentially disastrous opening of 76 but responded with rounds of 69,68,70 for a five under total of 283 and a share of 13th.

However there was disappointment for four other local professionals who had reached the second stage. At Costa Ballena Heswall’s Chris Sands missed out after rounds of 76,74,70,71 for a three over total of 291.

At PGA Golf de Catalunya Formby’s Mark Ramsdale had moved into a promising position at halfway after recovering from an opening 74 with a fine 69. However a pair of 75s left him out of the running on 293, five over par. Hillside’s Daniel Belch returned 79,74,76,76 for 305 and Richard Bean, from Pryors Hayes, had 76,73,80,77 for 306.

Meanwhile barely has the dust settled on Dougherty’s best ever season on the European Tour – where he finished 11th on the Order of Merit and claimed his second Tour title – then the Liverpool golfer is up and running again.

He was in Shanghai for the HSBC Champions tournament Sheshan International GC and while he did not threaten the leaders, he did turn in a consistent display for a share of 13th place.

Rounds of 71,70,74 and 71 left him on two under par 286. His 54,209 euros earnings means he is 12th on the first Order of Merit of the new season – tournament winner Phil Mickleson does not qualify – but more importantly it leaves Dougherty in one of the qualifying positions for the 2008 Ryder Cup. He also maintained his world top 50 ranking.