Andrew Wilson secured his DP World Tour – formerly the European Tour – card for 2022 with a nerve-wracking finish at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A in Mallorca.
Having graduated from the EuroPro Tour in 2019, Darlington-based Andrew continued his fast progression through the professional ranks by securing his card with a top-20 finish in the Challenge Tour’s order of merit.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind the last few years,” Andrew said. “When I played well at The Open in 2019 while I was playing EuroPro, I knew I was good enough to make it to the European Tour. There’s a big difference between thinking you’re good enough and getting out there though – you’ve got to play your boots out for a couple of years to climb up through the system.
“I’m not surprised I’ve got my card, but I didn’t think I’d have earned it this quickly.”
Heading into the final event of the season inside the top-20, Andrew knew a solid week would see him step up to Europe’s top tour.
Having fallen well back with an opening round of 75, he rallied to post a second round 67 before maintaining his position with a level par round of 71 on Saturday. Going into Sunday’s final round, everything was still to play for as players jostled for a place inside the top-20.
“I didn’t earn my card the conventional way at the Grand Final,” Andrew added. “Being in last place after the opening round wasn’t how I wanted to start the week. I think nerves got the better of me, but I managed to get it around on the second day and shoot four under-par.
“I struggled again on Saturday and really felt like I was blowing the opportunity to earn my card for next season.
“On Sunday I stayed patient and then out of nowhere, double bogeyed the 13th. I was devasted standing on the 14th tee.
“On 14, all of a sudden, the putter started to work and I started rolling them in from left, right and centre. You can’t give up on the golf course as you never know when it’s going to turnaround for you.”
Andrew’s turnaround – birdieing four of his last five holes – saw him finish in a tie for 12th place, securing 18th place on the order of merit and a place on the DP World Tour for 2022.
“Sitting in the last qualifying place going into the event, I knew it wasn’t going to be a lot of fun out there. It was always going to be more of a mental battle than a golfing one.
“I was prepared for the battle and although I didn’t play by best golf, I’m really proud of the way I kept it together throughout the week. I’m looking forward to getting out to tournaments again and seeing what next season brings.”
Andrew will open his DP World Tour season in November and December with three events in South Africa.
