Agony and Ecstasy for European Tour Bubble Boys in Portugal

MIKKO KORHONEN arrived in Portugal in 116th position in the Race to Dubai, knowing that unless he produced the performance of his life at Vilamoura then the dream would be over. The Finn finished in a tie for third and moved up to 86th.

For Korhonen the feeling was as good as winning. But for Craig Lee and Eddie Pepperell, who began the week in 109th and 110th places, the race is over after both men missed the cut. Lee has been here before, going right down to the wire to keep his card. But Pepperell is meant to be one of the brightest prospects on the European Tour and this just wasn't meant to happen.

There are those who believe that a trip back to the qualifying school might be exactly the kick up the backside that the young Englishman needs and that he will return all the better for the experience. It will definitely have convinced him that there is plenty of work to be done.

Spare a thought for Graeme Storm. On the final tee he was in 109th place, but he dropped a shot at the 18th after hitting his drive into a bunker and ended up in 112th place. To put this in perspective, he failed to keep his card by less than £100. Agony.

Oliver Fisher also made it with relative ease as he moved from 114th to 110th, while Jason Scrivener became the third and final man to move into one of the coveted spots, going from 113th to 106th.

Korhonen summed up what it meant. "It was nerve-wracking, but I survived," he said.

Scrivener finished 117th last season before coming through the qualifying school, something he will not face this year after two closing birdies. "I'm really happy with the way I played and happy to have a job next year," he said. "I was just trying to play solid, I played really well all day and just didn't really hole any putts until the last two holes but I'm happy.

“The more times I can be under pressure and perform well, I think it's good for my confidence. It's been a really up and down year but I'm happy to finally pull through. I love playing in Europe.”

Chris Hanson had missed just three cuts in his first 19 events of the season but left himself on the bubble after failing to make the cut at the European Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It meant that he fell from 105th to 109th in Portugal but a closing 66 helped him keep his card in his rookie season and the Englishman admits it has been tense.

"It's just incredible," he said. "I had to shoot a decent score to hang on to a card and did that. The first hour was pretty nice and the next two hours, I've never felt my heart beat like that, ever. I don't know how to explain it other than that. Now I've kept my card. It's overwhelming and I'm just excited about the future.”

Scott Jamieson found himself on the bubble for the second season in a row after finishing 106th in 2015. He arrived in Portugal in that position and a tie for 50th saw him finish the season in 108th.

"It's obviously a big relief," he said. "It's nice to sneak over the line just at the end but it's obviously not where I want to be. At the end of the year I want to be more at the top end of things and not having to have sleepless nights or whatever it may be.

“There's going to be a lot of guys that just miss out. Some of them good friends, as well. I feel for them.”