The fear of losing your card at school

If you play badly in a tournament, you miss the cut and you get the weekend off. Usually, you can take a late flight back home on Friday, kick back with the family, and prepare for next week. If you play badly at the tour school, its not quite as convenient.

Instead of killing time till next Monday you've got to make a plan for the next 12 months. The downside of a bad tournament is far more severe when it's the only event you get to play in. This is a matter of life and death.

At the start of the recent school in Spain 90 aspiring and deluded golf pros faced the realities of an early return home to an uncertain future. Seventy-eight players went through to the final two rounds vying for a top 35 position.

Most golfers are subconsciously prepared for 72 hole tournaments. The school demands 36 holes more.

The weather for the first four rounds was kind; cold and clear mornings heating up by midday, accompanied by a gentle breeze. On the fifth day, after the field had been cut from 168 to 78, the wind blew strong and icily from the north. Those who had made it to the final of the last stage were now presented with a further challenge; a cold and windy San Roque with narrow fairways and undulating greens that made two putting a relief and three putting commonplace.

Mouths hung in disbelief as golfers of up to two decades on tour had the regular rug of tour life yanked from under their spikes with a failed attempt at the school to secure the right to continue as they had habitually done in previous years. This winter's break was going to be as indefinite as the lack of earnings.

The vice tightened on the fifth round of this marathon golf school. Roger Chapman arrived at the course mumbling something about groundhog day. San Roque was taking on the air of a place that we couldn't leave. Most of us had been there for eight days, already it felt like overtime.

Johan Rystrom's caddie, the tour veteran Duncan, decided it was time to give his player a discourse about his commitment at this crucial stage of the week on their sixth hole of the fifth round. As Rystrom hooked his tee shot into a bunker he exclaimed, "That's it, I'm done". Their third bogey of the nine was looming. Duncan replied, "Don't say that. We are at crisis point here you've got to make it happen even when it's not happening. That's what tour golf is all about and it's even more important on a week like this".

Duncan tried to pre-empt any negative attitude for the final round by delivering his motivational speech as he pulled the clubs from Rystrom's car before the round. The lectures did not have their desired result. Rystrom's 70 was two shots too many to secure a card for the Swede.

Gary Murphy arrived at the course on the last day visibly shaken having thrown up before leaving for the biggest day of his golfing life. It wasn't a bad paella the previous night that had caused the nausea, but nerves. He was high on the leader board, swinging well but uncomfortable with being in such a position. So his final round of 72 is even more commendable knowing the turmoil that this experience was causing him.

Gary, despite playing great golf was also benefiting from an experienced caddie at his side. Matthew Byrne was brought out of retirement by an impressed Murphy. "Matthew was fantastic, his clarity of thinking on the course and logical persuasion to hit the right club was something that I have never experienced from previous caddies".

Matthew was "surprised that it took Gary so long to get his card". He was clearly surprised by Murphy's game and amazed that it took such a player three attempts at the school to seal his card.

The agony of the school continued well into the last afternoon. Paul Way, tour veteran and ex-Ryder Cup player, was one of those suffering from delusion. He was two over for the tournament with four to play and easing towards a card until his brittle swing, almost in anticipation of a possible comeback, deserted him. He triple bogeyed the hole and ended up on eight over par.

All are not tales of woe and disaster though. Forty-two players got their tour card with nine tying on four over. One of those was Henrik Nystrom who holed a 35 foot putt up a ridge for an eagle on his last hole to get 35th spot.

As the sun was setting on San Roque and the final day of this prolonged qualifying ordeal, I left my player, Peter Fowler, musing over next year's tour schedule with the enthusiasm of a rookie having sealed his place back in Europe after a long absence.