Ben Mason and John Parry are among 156 players whose nerves were jangling as one of the most pressurised tournaments of the year, the European Tour qualifying school final, got underway in Spain today.
Few events can match the drama and emotion of the six-round final where dreams can be made or crushed.
Former England amateur internationals Mason, from Leeds, and Harrogate's Parry are two of 79 qualifiers from last week's second stage of the sch
ool, joining 77 who were exempt, many of them having lost their playing rights in the season just ended.
The battle at Catalunya, Girona will see only 30 and ties join the elite on the European Tour and the Race to Dubai,
There could be up to 126 disappointed souls who will miss the chance of potential riches as some have already gained their cards by finishing in the top 20 on the Challenge Tour.
For them, this is an opportunity to improve their categories that increase playing opportunities.
Mason, 31, is no stranger to the final, having won through it and experienced the main tour on which his best show was second place in the St Omer Open in France in 2003.
In 2008 he campaigned on the Challenge Tour where he finished a disappointing 92nd with 16,292 euros from 17 tournaments, well short of the top 20 who gained major tour cards.
For Parry, who operated on the PGA Europro Tour this year after turning professional late in 2007, the final is a new experience.
His first full season ended with a maiden victory in the Ladbrokes Masters which propelled him up the order of merit – a final placing of sixth earning membership of the Challenge Tour next year.
He hopes, however, to step up to the big one and should he do so it would be a nice present as he celebrates his 22nd birthday during the final school.
After progressing through the first stage of the school, Parry placed sixth in the second stage event at Montenmedio last week, posting 69 72 69 71.
Mason was exempt from the first stage and last week tied eighth in the event at Arcot Gardens where he hit encouraging form to shoot scores of 70 72 72 66.
Yorkshire players also among the hopefuls at Catalunya are Iain Pyman, Ian Garbutt and Sheffield quartet Gareth Davies, Malcolm Mackenzie, Danny Willett and John Mellor.
Another is Simon Thornton, from Brighouse and based at Royal County Down. Two years ago he topped the Irish order of merit.
Among the young wannabees are tour hardened men like Spain's Santiago Luna with 557 European Tour appearances to his name, former Ryder Cup man Peter Baker who has played 566 events, and Mackenzie whose 604 tournaments include a French Open victory.
A number of former Tour event winners will also be vying to get back including two-time winner Andrew Coltart, Andrew Oldcorn, France's Jean-Francois Remesy, a three-time winner, and Sweden's Patrick Sjoland.
Is the test as gruelling as is made out? Ask Austria's Martin Wiegele.
The full article contains 520 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.
