Martin Dempster: The drive for money can knock golfers off course

HOW refreshing it was to hear Jim Holtgrieve, the US captain at the Walker Cup, admit he’d made a “mistake” by turning professional before seeking reinstatement in the amateur ranks. “I went to play only for money and forgot about having fun,” he said in one of his press conferences in Aberdeen.

It struck a chord with me due to the fact I had spent an hour or two immediately beforehand doing some research on the European Tour Qualifying School, a process which begins for another year this week at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire and Ebreichsdorf in Austria.

Six more stage one events will be held around Europe between now and the first week in October, with four stage two events to come after that before the battle for those coveted cards comes down to the nitty-gritty of a six-round marathon in north-east Spain.

This year’s final is being held even later than usual, so close to Christmas, in fact, that it is almost laughable. For the lucky ones, the festive period will certainly be a joy. For the unlucky ones, they’ll look forward to it even less than Ebenezer Scrooge.

Around 800 players have entered stage one alone. It’s cost each of them £1,350, meaning the process will raise more than £1 million for the European Tour. I’ve got no problems with that. The circuit offers rich rewards for those who are successful on it, so it’s only right that those entering the race should have to speculate in a bid to accumulate. They’ll need some luck along the way. For the stage one competitors, 14 rounds stand between them and the 30 cards that could be likened to Willy Wonka’s ‘Golden Ticket’. Not that the Qualifying School is the best route on to the European Tour. Challenge Tour graduates secure a better ranking and that’s where aspiring pros really need to learn their trade.

For some, the Qualifying School process will, of course, open a door to the second-tier circuit and give them the opportunity they need to raise their game to a level where they can genuinely compete at the top level in European golf.

Take Scott Jamieson, for example. He started out in the paid ranks on the third-tier PGA EuroPro Tour but quickly stepped up to the Challenge Tour. He then won ‘promotion’ again and is now challenging to be Rookie of the Year on the European Tour. This week he’s involved in the Seve Trophy.

For those who have found themselves stuck at the bottom level longer than they’d like, players like Jamieson will be an inspiration and I, for one, certainly have no qualms about young golfers having dreams. What I would like to see more of, however, is players occasionally doing exactly what Holtgrieve did and admit that seeking a career as a Tour professional has been a mistake.

It can’t be fun chiselling away at the coalface on those third-tier circuits and not seeing light at the end of a long tunnel, which is why the start of the Qualifying School season will have put a spring back in the step of those who’ve made little headway on whatever Tour they’ve been playing this year.

Find some form at the right time and they could be in that final in a few weeks’ time, then find themselves moving on to a higher level next season. Stage one will involve many of the usual Scottish suspects. Tartan Tour regulars like Scott Henderson, Greig Hutcheon, Jason McCreadie and Stephen Gray, for instance, are all giving it a bash again and certainly have the games to go close.

Interestingly, none of them have entered at Dundonald Links, opting instead to try and pass the opening test at Wychwood Park.

Also heading there next week is Michael Stewart, while James Byrne, the other Scot in Walker Cup action last weekend, is off to Ribagolfe in Portugal early next month to launch his bid to join the paid ranks. David Law, who’s in the field at Frilford Heath that same week, has said he’ll stay amateur for another year unless he secures at least a Challenge Tour card. That makes sense, especially when he can, no doubt, look forward to another winter of warm weather training if he stays in the SGU Elite Squad.

For every player setting out in stage one, there’s a huge potential pot awaiting at the end of the rainbow. Let’s hope several Scots come out at the other end of the process with something to celebrate. But, at the same time, those words uttered by Jim Holtgrieve should serve as a reality check for others.