The great thing about The Race to Dubai is that it is not only the players at the top of the standings who have it all to play for.
While the likes of Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett and Louis Oosthuizen are pushing to have their names etched on the Harry Vardon Trophy, there are also plenty of players vying to gain entry into the lucrative ‘Final Series’, or into the top 60 in order to secure a place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
However, it is perhaps those players hovering nervously around that cherished, but dreaded 110 mark who have the most to play for – and the most to lose – with just two events of the regular season remaining.
So without further ado, allow us to give you the lowdown on the ‘bubble boys’ currently ranked between 105th and 115th heading into this week’s Portugal Masters and next week’s UBS Hong Kong Open, all of whom are scrambling to keep their European Tour cards for the 2016 season.
105th–ScottJAMIESON
Many people will be surprised to see Jamieson lingering around the 110 mark in The Race to Dubai, considering the talented Scot has finished inside the top 80 in each of the last four seasons, registering 18 top ten finishes in the process. However, the 31 year old has not finished in the top ten once this campaign. The Glaswegian has every chance of turning his form around this week, though, as he returns to a golf course which has given him some great memories. In 2013, he shot a sensational 11 under par 60 at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, on the way to finishing in a tie for 13th. Jamieson, who has finished inside the top 15 in each of the last three editions of this event, also finished seventh in Vilamoura last year, having shot a 63 in the first round.
106th–OliverFISHER
Another talented player who is just short of the €250,000 mark on The European Tour this season, Fisher has been playing catch up for most of 2015 following a slow start to the season. If the 27 year old Englishman can continue the sort of consistent form that has seen him make the last seven consecutive cuts – more than he made in his first 18 events of the campaign – then the 2011 Czech Open champion should comfortably keep his card. The Essex native comes into this week in buoyant mood after he finished in a very impressive tie for ninth place at the British Masters Supported by Sky Sports at Woburn Golf Club last week.
107th–SeveBENSON
After two consistent seasons on The European Tour, Benson finds himself looking nervously over his shoulder. The 28 year old’s best performance of the season came back in April’s Volvo China Open, where the Wentworth man finished in a tie for 14th place. Another Englishman battling for his card, Benson can draw some confidence from the fact that he has made 16 cuts this season – more than he has managed in any previous campaign on Tour. He does not yet need an escape befitting his namesake, Senor Ballesteros, but Benson will need to produce a polished performance in Portugal to secure his immediate future on Tour.
108th–RenatoPARATORE
The 18 year old, who has impressed on his debut season on tour, most notably back in August with a tied fifth finish at the D+D REAL Czech Masters, arrives in Portugal needing a good performance. Unlike the three players above him in the Race to Dubai, the Italian is not in the field for the UBS Hong Kong Open as things stand. However, if the likeable Qualifying School graduate’s short career has taught us anything so far, it is that he can cope with pressure and handle himself well in testing circumstances. He will need to do just that again this week.
109th–PromMEESAWAT
Meesawat has made the most of the 11 European Tour events he has played this season to sneak into the top 110 as things stand. The ‘Dolphin’, who earnt that affectionate nickname due to his burly physique and because he comes from the coastal town of Hua Hin in Thailand, finished tied third at the Volvo China Open – a performance which earnt him more than €150,000. Another big week over the next fortnight would be enough to secure the 31 year old his playing rights for 2016.
110th–ChrisPAISLEY
The last man in at the moment, right on the bubble, Paisley has enjoyed a much improved second full season on The European Tour, having finished 122nd in The Race to Dubai Rankings in 2013. The Englishman has made 14 cuts this season from 19 events, with the highlight seeing the 29 year old finish in third place at the BMW International Open in Germany. With Paisley not yet in the field for the UBS Hong Kong Open next week, he will need a strong showing in Portugal this week to fend off those trying to leapfrog him in the standings.
111th–SSPCHAWRASIA
As an affiliate member, if Chawrasia can climb just the one place and finish in the top 110 then the top 111 in The Race to Dubai standings will keep their 2016 European Tour cards. Chawrasia, who has finished in the top 100 on the Money List three times during his career, owes much of his placing to two top ten finishes early on in the season. The most important of those performances came at his home event, the Hero Indian Open, where the 37 year old finished second – two weeks after he had claimed a tenth place finish at the Maybank Malaysian Open. Not in the field this week, Chawrasia will be relying on a good showing in Hong Kong.
112th–MatthewNIXON
Nixon’s best result of the season came at the KLM Open in September, where a 12 under par total saw the Englishman finish in a tie for 18th place. The 26 year old has finished in the top 25 five times, but his showing in the Netherlands remains the only event in which Nixon has made it into the top 20 this year. Consistency has certainly not been a problem for the Manchester native this year – he has made 19 cuts from 29 events, including nine of his last ten – so he heads into this week with some confidence. He will also be able to draw on the last two seasons, which saw Nixon sneak into the top 110, finishing 105th and 109th in 2013 and 2014 respectively. More last ditch heroics are required this season.
113th–TomLEWIS
When Lewis finished in a tie for fourth at the Shenzhen International back in April, it looked like being a case of business as usual for the skilled 24 year old. In his five seasons on the Tour, the Englishman has only finished outside of The Race to Dubai cutline once, back in 2012. However, the exemption Lewis gained from winning this very event the year before ensured his playing rights for 2013. Fast forward a couple of years, and Lewis is in real need of some more Portuguese brilliance, at a venue which provided him with the undoubted highlight of his professional career.
114th–MikaelLUNDBERG
The three-time European Tour winner finds himself in real need of a good display in Portugal, following a very frustrating end to a week which promised so much last time out at the British Masters Supported by Sky Sports. The Swede had been in contention at Woburn until a final round 80 saw him finish in a tie for 67th. After consecutive top ten finishes in March, at the Tshwane Open and the Trophée Hassan II, Lundberg appeared set for a comfortable season. However, it has not worked out that way, leaving him with plenty of work to do over the coming fortnight.
115th–MattFORD
Like the man above him in the rankings, Ford’s season appeared to be firmly on the upward curve in March when the Englishman finished second at the Africa Open. However, in his first full season on The European Tour, the man who very nearly took up a job as a postman has not been able to dliver the goods since his heroics in Africa. But four straight cuts made in August and September, with particularly solid displays in the Netherlands and Italy, have given Ford the chance for one final push this week in Portugal.
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