Had Robert the Bruce been alive today he could not have failed to recognise a kindred spirit in English golfer Philip Golding. The old Scottish King harboured a deep distrust of anyone residing south of Hadrian's Wall, to put it mildly, but in Golding he would have surely identified a man of strong moral fibre, for whom the word failure was not an option.
Almost seven centuries have elapsed since Robert shivered in his cave as he watched the legendary spider "try, try and try again" to spin a web, imbuing him with the resolve to reclaim his kingdom. In a golfing context, few professionals have displayed a greater resolve than the man from Bushey in Hertfordshire.
Over the course of two eventful decades Golding pursued the Holy Grail of a victory on The European Tour and, following an unwanted record of 16 visits to the Qualifying School, he arrived at the summit of a life's work by winning the Open de France at Le Golf National in Paris.
A triumph for the human spirit, but no less so for the system which enabled him to reach that sense of fulfillment. Those twin pillars of Opportunity and Incentive, which lie at the core of The European Tour's ethos, loomed large ahead of him, even in his darkest moments.
"I never allowed myself to become disheartened when I found myself without a card for The European Tour," explained the golfer who did not touch a club until he was 18, turned professional a year later with a handicap of 15 and was able to compete off scratch a further 12 months on.
"Whatever my status, there has always been an opportunity to play golf. If I haven't had a card for the regular Tour then I've played on the Challenge Tour. It's a stepping stone to where we all want to be, and I had no problem taking it. Frankly, the Challenge Tour prepared me for my unforgettable afternoon in Paris.
"That's the beauty of The European Tour. You are given the chance, be it through the Qualifying School or the Challenge Tour, to perform on the regular Tour. It's maybe taken me a little longer than most to fulfill my ambitions, but it goes to show that it's never too late to win."
Golding made his first foray to the Qualifying School Finals at La Manga in 1983 but had to wait until his tenth attempt to secure the precious card he craved so much. But rather than being the end of the story, that success was merely the start.
He explained: "To be honest, because I was a late starter, I wasn't ready for the Qualifying School on my initial visits to La Manga. I gained my class A qualifications to teach but I always really wanted to compete. It's in my blood. My father was a top class runner and I played cricket for Middlesex Colts and football for Barnet Colts.
"Some of the members at my club, Northwood, in Hertfordshire, clubbed together to pay my entry fees to the School and I never lost faith. I managed to get my card for the first time in 1993 and played on the Tour in 1994 but didn't retain it. I got it back straight away and that time I did retain it in 122nd place on the Volvo Order of Merit in 1995."
For the next three years, winning a card at the Qualifying School was followed by the frustration of losing it again. However, his spirit was far from broken. Undaunted, Golding took himself off to the Challenge Tour and won the 1999 Open des Volcans to go with his two earlier victories in the 1990 Brussels Pro-Am and the 1993 Rolex Pro-Am. Twice he gained his card via the Challenge Tour, one of the toughest training academies in the game, in 1999 and 2001; twice more he revisited the School.
On the last occasion in November 2002, his unquenchable spirit was hanging by a thread. A closing 63 in the last round of the 59th Italian Open Telecom Italia just failed to enable him to secure his card in 119th place. He admitted: "I decided that was enough. I was determined I wasn't going back to undertake the yearly ritual.
"On the plane home Mark Roe goaded me into going. So did Ricardo Gonzalez. My wife, Sally, joined in and coaxed me into entering the next day. Even then I wasn't sure as my caddie had sacked me to go off with Graeme McDowell. I rang round and couldn't find a replacement. I even took my pencil bag to the School to carry my own clubs! Somehow I pulled myself together and finished third. The rest, as they say, is history."
Finally, when he stood on the 18th fairway at Le Golf National requiring a birdie four to win, facing a carry over water and water behind the green, everything he had absorbed over the years came sharply into focus.
"The Qualifying School and the Challenge Tour are part of your golfing education. You learn and draw on the experiences. I was lucky enough to take that opportunity in Paris but it didn't surprise me. I am competitive, I love to win but, most importantly, I was ready.
"I had won on the Challenge Tour three times and loved the feeling. On my third victory, the Open des Volcans, I shot 66 on the last day to win. I drew on that performance. Winning then was just as big, just as important, just as difficult. It's hard to separate which was harder - winning the Open de France or the Open des Volcans. The only certainty is that you have to hit the right shots.
"Inside I was very calm. I wasn't flapping at all. I reminded myself that this was what it all boils down to - a chance to win, maybe the only chance - so take it. It may not come again. It was wonderful to execute my six iron and see it pitch near the hole. I could imagine my family going crazy back in Bushey!"
The last two editions of the Open de France have been won by golfers who have celebrated their 40th birthdays (Malcolm Mackenzie won in 2002) and, as Golding observed: "Our successes prove that it's never too late to win. All you need is the opportunity, and I was fortunate enough to take mine."
