EUROPEAN TOUR:FIVE SUCCESSIVE top-10 finishes have brought Oliver Fisher back from the wilderness, but to stay a European Tour regular this season the 21-year-old needs to keep the run going at the Spanish Open this week.
After a nightmare 2009 in which he missed 21 halfway cuts, lost his Tour card and then failed to survive the qualifying school, the Essex youngster has at last begun to head in the right direction again.
Coach Pete Cowen, the man who helped Lee Westwood climb from outside the world’s top 250 to his current fourth spot, believes Fisher has the talent to go a lot higher than his current 189th.
But the big problem this year is how many chances he will get on the main circuit.
“Because he didn’t make it through the school Ollie stays down the rankings this season and so isn’t guaranteed a start every week,” said Cowen.
It was only when he tied for fourth in Korea on Sunday that Fisher knew he had a spot in Seville under the rule that sees the top-10 finishers qualify for the following week’s tournament.
But he is not yet in the field for next week’s Italian Open and so it goes on.
Eighth in India, third in Kenya, second in Madeira and seventh in China in his four previous events show two things: Fisher has been clocking up the air miles, but he has also made it very worthwhile.
With over €230,000 banked he has probably done enough already to be sure of a full return to the circuit next year.
“At the start of the year I would have taken that,” said the former 2005 Walker Cup player.
“Hopefully I can set some different goals now. I know the standard that I can play.”
Miguel Angel Jimenez, big-hitting Alvaro Quiros, World Cup-winning brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari, defending champion Thomas Levet and Dane Soren Kjeldsen all feature this week.
Levet will have to tackle a different course this time, with the €2 million tournament returning to Real Club de Golfe de Sevilla, which hosted the 2008 edition won by Ireland’s Peter Lawrie.
He made an admirable defence of that title last year, finishing tied third, but is looking forward to returning to the scene of his success. He said: “It’s a wonderful golf course that tests every part of your game. You have to hit it straight and manoeuvre your iron shots as the pins positions are normally quite tight and close to water. You also have to putt well.”
Lawrie is joined by fellow compatriots Simon Thornton, Michael Hoey, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke and Gary Murphy.
Spanish Open
Course: Real Club de Golf de Sevilla
Length: 7,140 yards Par: 72
Prizemoney: €2 million, €333,330 for the winner
Field: 156
Defending champion: Thomas Levet
First played: 1972
Most wins: Seve Ballesteros
On TV: Sky Sports
Weather:Sunny and very warm with a slight chance of showers on Saturday morning
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)