NEWS

Hutsby flirts with 59 to lead European Tour Q-School, Reed alone in third

By PGA.com news services
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Hutsby flirts with 59 to lead European Tour Q-School, Reed alone in third

England’s Sam Hutsby was in red-hot form in Saturday’s opening-day play of the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort, where he holds a three-shot lead after shooting a 10-under-par 60 on the Tour Course.

Hutsby had a chance to rewrite European Tour history at the par-5 18th with a putt for an eagle and a round of 59 -- a feat never before achieved on the European Tour. But despite only making birdie, the 23-year-old still secured his lowest round in tournament golf.

Dutchman Tim Sluiter, who won at La Manga Club in the Second Stage, continued his recent fine form, shooting an excellent 7-under 63.

“It was a lovely day,” he said. “I was out relatively early and it was a little warmer today than the last few days so the ball was going a normal distance which made it easier for us.

“I played well. I’ve come out of the Second Stage playing really well and I swung the club really well and holed a few putts. I made eagle at the 10th and through my round I made a few birdies, so I’m happy.”

The Tour Course is traditionally known as the easier of the two layouts at PGA Catalunya Resort and that was reflected at the top of the first-day leaderboard.

American Patrick Reed -- a Texas native who led Augusta State to its second straight NCAA men's golf champonship last summer before turning pro -- is one shot back from Sluiter in third place after signing for a 6-under 64. Eight men are tied for fourth place on 5 under, including former European Tour players Englishman Benn Barham and Australian Andrew Tampion.

“I played well today. I kept the ball in the fairway and managed to hole a few putts,” Barham said. “I’ve been playing quite nicely for the past few weeks without really holing anything, so it made a nice change today and hopefully that can continue for the rest of the week.

“The course is playing quite long because it’s fairly soft with all the rain they’ve had recently, but the greens were rolling beautifully. Everyone says the Tour Course is the easier of the two, but I think if you’re playing well it doesn’t matter where you play.”

Hutsby, who finished 48th on the 2011 European Challenge Tour, is looking to become one of at least 30 men to emerge next Thursday with a coveted European Tour card for next season, and he couldn’t have asked for a better start after a sensational round featuring eight birdies and an eagle.

In almost perfect weather conditions in northern Spain, Hutsby played the front nine in 29 shots and had four further birdies coming home to complete a flawless round.

“I got off to a great start with three birdies in a row, and after that I just seemed to have the ball on a bit of string,” said Hutsby, who finished second behind his compatriot Simon Khan at the 2009 Qualifying School. “I gave myself five or six chances other than the ones I took, so a 59 was on the cards.

“But you can never have the perfect round of golf, so I’ll probably just about take a 60! I really enjoy playing here, so even though it can be a stressful week, it’s good to come back here. Though obviously I would’ve preferred to have played well enough to get my card.”

In 2010, Hutsby finished 118th in the Race to Dubai to lose his card by just one place, and credits his return to form to a coaching change.

“It’s been a tough couple of years since I got my card here in 2009,” he said. “But I recently went back to my old coach [Martin Butcher] who I’d been with since a junior and my game’s turned around. We’ve changed a few things and simplified my game, and my confidence is back up.

“I decided to make a few changes after turning pro to try to take my game to the next level, and it was probably a mistake. I should’ve stuck to the principles that had worked through my amateur career, but instead I tried to change a few things all at once and ended up getting a bit lost.

“But now I’ve gone back to Martin and worked really hard with him, and I’m starting to get back to where I was.”