David Drysdale back on course to retain full European Tour card

David Drysdale is back inside the cut-off mark for full European Tour cards next season but still faces a nervous final day of the regular campaign.

David Drysdale missed the cut in the AVIV Dubai Championship, leaving his fate in the hands of Englishman Ashley Chesters in the final two rounds. Christof Koepsel/Getty Images.

After missing the cut in the AVIV Dubai Championship, the 46-year-old from Cockburnspath had slipped from 121st - the final provisional card position - to 122nd in the Race to Dubai standings.

Ashley Chesters was the player who’d jumped above him, meaning Drysdale’s fate after holding a full card for 17 consecutive seasons was in the hands of the Englishman.

Chesters started the third round on the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates sitting in a tie for 11th, but, perhaps feeling pressure himself, the former Walker Cup player had a day to forget.

With the tone being set by two opening bogeys, he had to settle for a two-over 74, which dropped him into a share of 52nd spot on eight-under.

As a result, Drysdale is now back to 121st in the projected standings, with Chesters four spots behind and now needing a low one in the final round to climb above the Scot again.

The lead in Dubai is being shared by Dane Joachim B Hansen and Italian Francesco Laporta on 19-under, one ahead of defending champion Antoine Rozner of France.

Scottish Open champion Min Woo Lee and Tommy Fleetwood are both lurking ominously on 16-under, with Martin Kaymer and Bernd Wiesberger also in the top 10.

“All I can do is do what I did on the back nine today and try to do that for a full round,” said Fleetwood of his position after storming home in 30. “But there’s been a lot of good golf in there and I’ve got to take that into tomorrow.”

Scott Jamieson is the leading Scot on 12-under, one ahead of Bob MacIntyre, who ran up a disappointing bogey-6 at the 18th for the second time this week.

Stephen Gallacher, who is making his 600th European Tour appearance, sits on 10-under, followed by David Law and Grant Forrest on nine and eight-under respectively.

No matter how they fare in the closing circuit, MacIntyre and Forrest have already secured spots in next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the neighbouring Earth Course along with Calum Hill.

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