The 2014 season may have only just begun but Richard Finch is already setting his sights on reclaiming his playing rights for 2015 after making a fine start to the new campaign.
The Englishman, who lost his card at the end of the last season, took full advantage of a sponsor’s invitation to last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship by finishing second, and now he is aiming to stay on that upward trend at this week’s Hong Kong Open.
“It was nice to get back in an upward direction,” said the 36 year old, who won both of his two European Tour titles in 2008. “I had an invitation for the South African Open and for the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which were much appreciated and a big help when you’re in the situation I’m in. It was great to have a good week at Leopard Creek.
“The best finish I think I’d had there was about 12thor 13thand that was in one of my first ever events on The European Tour. So it wasn’t as if I’d done amazingly well there in the past. But I’ve always really liked the environment – it’s an unbelievable place – and it was nice to play good golf as well.
“It was a busy end to the 2013 season and then I had the Qualifying School and after that I flew straight to South Africa the following week, so although we’re now in a different season, there’s not been any time to reflect or review.
“I had a top ten in the last event I played in 2013, in Perth, and that gave me a bit of promise and confidence that there might be some better results coming. I wouldn’t have said going into last week that I was hugely confident or was doing anything differently, but I managed to get a bit of momentum and then was able to keep it going.”
With €172,500 already on the board in The Race to Dubai, Finch has gone a long way in securing a place in the top 110 by the end of the season. However, with limited playing opportunities, it is important he takes chances such as this one in Hong Kong, where his place in the field came on the back of last week’s top five finish.
“I still need quite a bit more to secure my card for 2015, so this year I’ll obviously play anything my ranking gets me into and hope for an invite or two,” he added. “And I was also planning to play on the Challenge Tour, so I’ll just have to see what and when and how.
“But I’ve had a lovely start, a big step in the right direction and hopefully I can keep it going and get back to playing full time on The European Tour.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming to Hong Kong but my record isn’t that great here. I’ve played a few times and always liked it. The course is in the best condition I’ve ever seen it this year. The fairways and greens are fantastic.”
