Challenge Tour Graduate Howie Seals Place on the European Tour
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Peebles Golf Club is celebrating having a European Tour player after Craig Howie secured promotion from the Challenge Tour following a nerve-wracking final round of the Rolex Grand Final at T-Golf & Country Club in Mallorca.
Starting the week in 16th position in the rankings, Craig needed to finish inside the top-20 by the conclusion of the event and looked comfortable after the opening three days, with rounds of 72-68-71 putting him a great position just outside the top ten going into the final day.
As the wind strengthened, the 27-year old endured a pressure stricken fourth and final round, but came up trumps in the end, signing off with a birdie at the last for a five-over 76, clinching 19th spot on the Challenge Tour rankings and sealing his place among Europe’s elite for the 2022 DP World Tour.
“I’m extremely pleased that’s over,” said the Borderer after signing for a six-over-par 76 to finish in a tie for 31st on three-over, 11 shots behind Marcus Helligkilde as the Dane landed a double-whammy by also topping the rankings.
“That was horrible today. There’s probably not going to be much more pressure involved in a round of golf ever and it was tough going.
“Today was a big day and I didn’t handle it well at all; I struggled. I said to Darren (his brother/caddie) on the 10th hole, ‘I’m really nervous here and I need you to chat to me’.”
“It was just a battle,” he added. “I wasn’t playing great and it just seemed that anything that could go wrong did go wrong. My good shots weren’t as I thought they were and my bad shots were pretty terrible.
“I knew it was in my hands starting out then halfway round I was probably relying on other people, which I’ve not had to do all season. It’s a pretty horrible feeling to have. You try not to think about it, but it really is all you can think about.”
Once his promotion had been confirmed, the Stirling University graduate said he was “extremely proud” of himself, having laid the foundations with a maiden victory on the second-tier circuit in Sweden earlier in the season, coupled with a string of other good finishes including some solid performances on the main Tour as he took his chance with the invites he gained in the summer.
But, after enjoying his card success, Howie is determined to use this experience to be in a better place mentally for what lies ahead in the remainder of his career.
“It’s a massive learning day for me,” he declared. “I have learned so much about myself and what I need to do better, certainly mentally as I was in a really bad place today.”
Craig won’t have long to wait until the new season gets underway, flying out to South Africa in a fortnight to begin a three-week stint in the Sunshine state, where he has enjoyed good performances in the past both as a professional and as an amateur with the Scotland squad.
On behalf of all our members of the club, we’d like to offer Craig our congratulations on what is the biggest achievement by any Peebles Golf Club in our long and proud history of developing talented golfers. He – along with younger brother Darren – is a fantastic ambassador for the club and our town, and we look forward to following his continued progress as a professional golfer on the European Tour.
