Brilliant Ben earns European Tour card

Golf star Ben Evans has earned his European Tour card for next season in dramatic fashion.
Ben Evans secured a European Tour card for next season after a successful trip to the Qualifying School.Ben Evans secured a European Tour card for next season after a successful trip to the Qualifying School.
Ben Evans secured a European Tour card for next season after a successful trip to the Qualifying School.

The Staplecross-based professional produced a superb final round at the Final Qualifying Stage to earn his playing privileges for the 2018 campaign.

The leading 25 players and ties from an original 156-man field after the six-round marathon at Lumine Golf Club in Tarragona, Spain, earned cards for next year.

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And Evans scraped in at tied 25th courtesy of a five-under-par final round 66 on the Lakes Course today (Thursday), which pushed him up 18 places from tied 43rd overnight.

Starting at the 10th, Evans birdied his opening hole only to bogey the 12th. He then embarked on a scintillating run of five birdies in six holes from the 14th to soar into the top 25.

A bogey at the fourth was offset by a birdie on the sixth before he finished with three straight pars, closing the event with a 13-under-par total of 415.

An agonising wait followed for the rest of the field to complete their rounds, but he just about stayed inside the all-important top 25 and can now look forward to a full season on the European Tour in 2018.

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Evans had been nicely placed for much of the week. He was tied 19th after a two-under-par first round 69 on the Lakes Course on Saturday featuring four birdies and two bogeys.

He moved up to tied fourth following a splendid six-under-par second round 66 on the Hills Course. Evans birdied the first two holes and offset a bogey at the third with a birdie on the seventh.

He double bogeyed the par three 10th to go back to level for the day, but hit back in superb fashion with an eagle three on the 11th followed by birdies at the 13th, 14th, 15th and 18th.

Evans moved up to tied second on the back of a four-under-par third round 68, again on the Hills Course.

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Starting at the 10th, he made three birdies in his first eight holes before three more gains in four holes from the fourth briefly put him in the outright lead. Bogeys on his last two holes, however, meant he ended the day one back.

Evans finished day four tied third following a level-par 71 on the Lakes Course. After parring every hole on the front nine, he birdied the 10th and 14th only to double bogey the par four 15th.

The 30-year-old tumbled back some 40 places following a four-over-par 75 in round five (containing five bogeys and one birdie) on the Lakes Course, but repaired the damage in style the next day to fulfil his objective for the week.

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