Jamie McLeary knows that winning the Kazakhstan Open this week could all but guarantee him a place on The European Tour for next season, but he was in a relaxed and confident mood upon arrival at Almaty’s Nurtau GC.
The €450,000 prize pot is the European Challenge Tour’s biggest of the season, and McLeary sits seventh in the Road to Oman Rankings, less than €14,000 inside the top 15 who earn graduation to the 2016 Race to Dubai.
The Scot’s form this season has been good, with five top ten finishes including victory at the KPMG Trophy in June (see highlights below), but this is the tournament he would like to win the most.
“I’ve been targeting this week all season,” said the 34 year old. “Obviously it’s got a big prize fund, and winning it at this point would make it very likely you’d get on The European Tour for next season.
“I always think whoever wins here deserves to make it to The European Tour as well because its set-up is more like a European Tour event than a Challenge Tour event. The rough is up and you have to be very precise with your approach play.
“I decided not to play at the Cordon Golf Open last week because I thought it might be windy and I’d have to hit low shots, whereas here you need to flight it in at the pins, so I played the D+D REAL Czech Masters on The European Tour instead and took a week off last week.
“I’m feeling fresh, my game is in good shape, and I’ve had this tournament as my focus not just for the last month but really ever since the start of the year.
Whoever wins here deserves to make it to The European Tour - I think my game is set up nicely to have a good week
“Winning here would take some pressure off the end of the season, I’d be able to miss a couple of tournaments and spend some time at home.
“When you play on The European Tour it’s non-stop. I think I played about 32 tournaments last year, so I’d like to secure my card this week and have an easier end of season if I can, see my family a bit.
“I don’t really think the prize money seems to have affected anyone or made them any more tense at all. It’s not really a factor until the final afternoon - until then we all just treat it like a normal event if we can.
“I’ve got a bit of experience round here which I hope can help me and I think my game is set up nicely to have a good week and seal that European Tour place.”
Following months of tournaments in Europe, the Challenge Tour returns to Asia this week in advance of trips to China in October and Oman for November’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.
This is the Challenge Tour’s 11thvisit to Almaty, and McLeary’s eighth, and the Scot says he feels more comfortable the further afield the Tour takes him.
“For some reason I tend to prefer playing courses outside Europe,” he said. “The atmosphere is slightly less frantic, you normally get a chance to settle in somewhere rather than dashing about all over the place.
“The people here are really friendly, the weather is fantastic every year and the course looks in great shape so you couldn’t ask for anything more, and I’m sure we’re going to have a great week.”
