Chipping In: Dubuisson on the rise

It was fantastic to see Thorbjorn Olesen return to the winner’s circle at the ISPS Handa Perth International - a dramatic tournament at both ends of the spectrum and one that’s increasing in stature each year. The only drawback is that an event producing so much tension and excitement - a product of its position on the European Tour schedule - simply can’t attract a sizeable European television audience.

But that’s not something Olesen can control, and the strength of field showed that top players are prepared to travel huge distances if the all-round product is right. After all, Australia is an alluring country and somewhere many of these professionals seldom visit. Olesen, for example, was making his first European Tour start Down Under. It would be fair to say he took to it straight away. 

The Dane started off with a sublime, bogey-free 64 and headed into the final round with a three-shot lead after subsequent rounds of 69 and 67. On Sunday, he started well but dropped shots at 10 and 12 to see his lead narrowed to just one. But he bounced back admirably with birdies at 13 and 15 and parred the last three holes to secure a three-shot victory.

It’s a win that signifies Olesen’s return and marks the end of a barren run for one of Europe’s most highly rated young golfers. Indeed, his victory in Perth was his first professional title for more than 30 months – far too long for someone with his considerable attributes. After spending much of 2013 inside the world’s top 50, the 24-year-old had dropped to 130th at the start of play. But he’s now back inside the top 100, and perhaps his win will persuade him to concentrate solely on the European circuit, given his failure to successfully implement a two-tour schedule. 

Dubuisson’s rise

Well, what a year it’s been for Victor Dubuisson. After a couple of solid, if unspectacular, seasons on the European Tour, he won the inaugural Turkish Airlines Open in 2013 to move into the world’s top 50 - and indeed top 100 - for the first time. Since that event, it’s been a completely different career.

The enigmatic Frenchman finished runner-up en debut at the 2014 WGC-Accenture Matchplay, played all the majors this year and made a tremendous Ryder Cup debut, delivering two-and-a-half points from a possible three at Gleneagles. His second-place finish in Australia, which came courtesy of a brilliant closing 66 in windy conditions, has propelled him to 20th place in the world rankings. It’s been an amazing ascension for a player who was ranked 253rd three years ago.

The agony and the ecstasy

Emotions couldn’t have been more contrasting for a number of players following the conclusion of the ISPS Handa Perth International as the regular season drew to a close. All those outside the top 111 in the Race to Dubai standings, without pre-existing exemptions, will face the nerve-jangling trip to the final stage of European Tour Q-School next month.

David Drysdale, who started the week 116th in the standings, holed a long birdie putt on the 72nd green to move into a share of 4th and secure a card for next season. Englishman Matthew Nixon, who teed off on Thursday precariously placed on the bubble, improved to 110th to retain his European Tour status. For others, though, heartbreak was the overriding feeling.

Lee Slattery – 110th at the start of the tournament – missed the cut and watched in agony as both Drysdale and Nixon passed him on the money list. Italian Andrea Pavan, meanwhile, double-bogeyed the 72nd hole when a par would have seen him secure a card for 2015. 

Finals Series starts

Next week sees the start of the European Tour’s Final Series, a four-tournament stretch starting at the BMW Championship in China and concluding with November’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. This series, which made its debut last year, has been changed slightly this time around.

Players no longer have to play in two of the three events preceding the Tour Championship to be eligible for the final event, but points are weighted in such a way to make participation in those tournaments beneficial. I was staggered by the uproar from the likes of Charl Schwartzel last year in response to a seemingly minor stipulation aimed at increasing the prestige of the Finals Series, but in an age of player power, the modification looks wise.

Robert Streb

In America, Robert Streb came through a three-hole play-off at the McGladrey classic to secure his first PGA Tour victory. He started the final round five shots off the lead and his predicament worsened with a bogey at the first extra hole. But he bounced back with five birdies on the front nine and followed a dropped shot at 14 with four consecutive birdies to shoot 63 and set the clubhouse target on 14-under-par. Behind, Bredon de Jonge failed to convert two makeable birdie putts on 15 and 18 and Will MacKenzie saved par at the last to set up a three-way play-off.

MacKenzie was eliminated at the first extra hole and Streb converted his four-foot birdie putt at the second to secure a memorable victory. The 27-year-old – 360th in the Official World Golf Ranking at the start of the year – now has a two-year PGA Tour exemption and invites to the 2015 Masters and PGA Championship, along with a thicker wallet.

In other news….

I was amazed by virtually all the decisions taken by multiple parties in the Ted Bishop/Ian Poulter ‘little girl’ saga. Why the president of the PGA of America felt compelled to write such a stupid, repercussion-laden remark on two social media profiles is beyond me. Still, it’s been blown hugely out of proportion. In the grand scheme of things, is it really a big deal? Yes, he should have known better, but I’m sure he didn’t even consider the perceived ‘sexist’ connotations. His firing is disproportionate to the offense and the fact his tenure has been stricken from the record books is absolutely ludicrous. It’s a sad state of affairs when that is the response to a spur-of-the-moment comment directed at a divisive figure who has done far worse in the past.

This week, the European Tour is in China for the BMW Championship, while the PGA Tour travels to Malaysia for the CIMB Classic.