There are myriad membership categories on the European Tour, and one significant Catch-22: for lower-ranked members to earn more world ranking points, they need stronger fields. To achieve stronger fields, sponsors must inject more prize money. When that happens, affiliate members and those based primarily on the PGA Tour turn up and, increasingly, threaten to take most of the points and the money home with them. Those lower down the chain have to raise their games, that's if they can get one at all.
This reality has been underlined in the weeks following the Ryder Cup, as Danny Willett, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Matt Fitzpatrick have all won. Victory was so obviously sweet for Cabrera Bello, who took his national open after a dramatic finish. Fitzpatrick was almost as delighted to have ticked an item off the 'bucket list' at Valderrama, and Willett's behind-the-scenes changes paid dividends as he yet again found winning a big event easier than he does winning a smaller one. All were feel-good stories, but all were written when certain players need to guarantee their futures, and time is running out.
There are now just four events left of the European Tour season, and the last of those — worth more than double the combined prize money of the other three — is available only to the top 50 on the Race to Dubai. So while in some ways it's a shame to wave goodbye to Jon Rahm, who so admirably did his bit for Spanish golf over the last fortnight, there's an element of relief ahead of the Mallorca Golf Open. It isn't worth all that much, but someone here might change their life.
Fox is an in-form big-hitter whose best form has virtually all come by the sea. He's been second and fourth in the Irish Open, fourth and sixth in the Scottish Open, sixth twice at Royal Greens in Saudi Arabia, and 16th in the Open Championship itself. Also placed in the Australian Open, firm and fast conditions are ideal and his ability to fire low bullets into a breeze has often come in handy.
Langasque had been in something of a funk but there's been a notable upturn in his approach play lately, and it conjured strong starts to the Dutch Open, Dunhill Links and Open de Espana, before he again found himself in the mix last week. Although fading at the weekend, it was a big step up and could preempt a strong finish to the year.
"I played really solid again today, like yesterday," he said on Friday. "My long game is very good – my driving is really good – I drove a good one on 17, hit a good second shot just over the green and made a long putt for the eagle. That was the bonus for the day. Even without that it would have been a good day.
"I didn’t make many mistakes, that was the key for today. I stayed really patient and had a lot of pleasure. That was the most important thing."
Enoch finished 12th on the Sunshine Tour last week, keeping sharp while forced to wait for his next European Tour opportunity, and that was an eye-catching effort given he'd previously struggled at Sun City. In contention throughout, he suffered a disappointing Sunday, but all in all it was a worthwhile venture.
Before that he struck the ball really well at St Andrews to finish a respectable 39th in the Dunhill Links, and it was only a dreadful putting week which saw him fail to capitalise on a strong start in the Dutch Open. That has been a theme lately, as he's been inside the top 10 after round one in three of his last four events, and it's not all that long ago he was the halfway leader at the London Club in the Cazoo Classic.
Yes, that course suits a short-hitting player, but it was still particularly encouraging to note definite ball-striking promise. It was in October last year that he snapped a run of missed cuts to secure back-to-back top-10 finishes, and if he keeps hitting it well, a similar jolt of improvement could well be forthcoming.
Indeed Kinhult's approach play last week was as good as it has been since and perhaps suggests that he's getting back on track following a shock epilepsy diagnosis earlier in the season. No wonder he's struggled just a little since returning following three months away, but things will be looking up if he can make the weekend again here.
Victories in Portugal, Qatar, Dubai and Sicily all confirm that he's good in the breeze, and I don't think his long-game has been as solid as it is now for several years.
Although it didn't quite work out for him at Valderrama, Quiros gained strokes with his approaches yet again, making it seven starts in succession. He hadn't managed more than three since the European Tour began gathering data, and it's quality ball-striking which has powered his best form throughout the past couple of years.
He was a good 25th at Valderrama but is far better off under low-scoring conditions, as demonstrated when 10th in the Hero Open won by Horsfield in 18-under, fourth in a Kenya Open which saw Justin Harding shoot 21-under, and eighth in Tenerife where Burmester blasted his way to 25-under.
Garcia-Rodriguez shot 62 in the first round of the Open de Espana before a better all-round display at Valderrama and has improved for a return home, so if he can find the sort of approach play which saw him finish sixth in the Portugal Masters last year, he can do some damage.
That's no given but he was better last week, significantly so, and the putter was back firing. Indeed he did most things well and was 10th through 54 holes, having been in the mix over the first 36 a week earlier. The key to seeing it through might just be this drop in grade at a course which should allow him to be aggressive from the off.
Posted at 1700 BST on 18/10/21
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