Tour card secured, but Lee still wants final push in Italy

The 34-year-old from Stirling goes into the Challenge Tour’s season-ending Grand Final in southern Italy this week lying 12th on the second-tier circuit money-list, having amassed earnings of just over €70,000 from 23 events.

The top 20 secure spots on the main Tour, so it’s already mission accomplished for Lee, who last sat at the top table of European golf in 2008. The former Tartan Tour No 1 still has a mathemical chance to top the rankings but a more realistic target in the 45-man shoot-out at San Domenico Golf in the Puglia region is securing a top-10 berth.

“There’s a bit of pressure off knowing that I’ve secured a card and I’m proud of what I have achieved so far but I want to walk away with a place in the top 10,” said Lee, who trails tenth-placed Frenchman Julien Quesne by less than €750. “I’ve put a lot of hard work in already [playing more events than anyone on the circuit] but one more good week can make all the difference. Finishing in the top ten will probably mean that I get into around 18 events next season.”

Last time around, Lee, who won the Scottish Boys’ Stroke-play title in 1995, took the Qualifying School route in order to secure his card. However, after a promising start to his European Tour career, he then missed eight cuts in a row and finished 186th on the money-list.

To his credit, Lee took it on the chin and has worked his way back up the ladder, having turned to the third-tier EuroPro Tour last season to get a foothold on this year’s Challenge Tour.

Boosted by his inclusion in Team Scottish Hydro – set up at the beginning of this year to help players in their bid to get on to the European Tour – Lee finished second in the dual ranking Saint-Omer Open in May, picking up a career-best cheque for €44,740.

He has only missed four cuts all season and, after a two-week break following the last of the regular events on the schedule, is ready for one last challenge.

He said: “I was glad to get a break so that I could re-charge the batteries and get both my body and mind back in shape for one final push in the most important event of the year.

“One good thing is that there are only 44 guys to beat this week, although the other side of the coin is that they’re the best players on the Challenge Tour this season.

“There’s no cut to worry about, so I will be able to go out with all guns blazing and see what happens. I will be able to be a bit more aggressive than normal in the opening two rounds.

“I’m in charge of my own destiny – I am aware of what is required. One of the reasons I made the decision to play in as many tournaments as possible was that I didn’t want to get to the end of the year and find myself short of the top ten or even the top 20 by a few hundred Euros.”

While Lee is heading back to the European Tour as a result of his own hard work, he’s the first to admit that being part of the Team Scottish Hydro set up along with Chris Doak, Callum Macaulay, Jamie McLeary and Gavin Dear has been hugely beneficial.

He added: “Team Scottish Hydro has been great and hopefully my efforts will help lead to others getting the same opportunity in years to come.

“It’s a phenomenal scheme but, at the same time, you need someone to succeed to justify it and it would be fantastic if I could get a top-ten card in its first year.”

Doak, another former Tartan Tour Order of Merit winner, has also qualifed for the season-ending event. The Greenock man is lying 36th and still has a chance of leaping into the all-important top 20.

“It’s a shoot-out – everyone will be going for it,” said the 33-year-old, who held a European Tour card in 2009 and fell agonisingly short at last year’s Qualifying School when he missed a crucial putt at the final hole in the six-round marathon.

“I’m pleased with my form. I feel I’ve worked my way around courses a bit better this season while I’ve also cut out the stupid mistakes that can be so costly at this level.”