Booth is qualified success at Tour school

Rotherham’s David Booth collected the winner’s trophy at the end of PGA EuroPro Tour Qualifying School, shooting a final-round 67 to finish 13 under, one ahead of second-placed Mark Murphy at Frilford Heath Golf Club.

Booth opened his account for the week with a first-round 65, took his score to eight under with a 71 in Thursday’s second round, and drove himself to victory with an unblemished five-under 67 on Friday.

Ireland’s Mark Murphy finished second on 12 under, but was left to rue a bogey on the last which would have seen him share first place with Booth.

Booth (Rotherham Golf Club), had targeted a top-five finish on the Tour’s Order of Merit even before his success at Qualifying School and will now take the confidence of this win into the main season, which starts on the Belfry’s legendary Brabazon Course on April 15.

“I know I am good enough to win,” said Booth. “I know with the EuroPro Tour if I can go out and win an event I will have a great chance to secure my Challenge Tour card by coming in the top five on the Order of Merit. That is the plan.

“I have been working hard. I feel great. I have done a lot of work on putting, and have done a lot of work with my psychologist at the University of Sterling and with my coach there too. I came fourth at First Stage at Formby last week, but I was disappointed with fourth.

“It was all about the putting this week; I have hit the middle of the greens and rolled them in for fun really.

“I played one event last year, at Moray on an invite. It is my second year as a pro. I played Alps Tour last year and kept my card, so I had that as a backup, but I wanted to get my EuroPro card this year.”

Tom Whitehouse (Robert Rock Golf Academy), Luke Joy (Broadstone Golf Club) and Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge Golf Club) shared third on 11 under par.

All golfers have now received their category for 2014. Those who missed the 36-hole cut at Qualifying School Final Stage obtain category 14, with those who played Friday’s final round split into categories three, six and ten depending on their final leaderboard position.