Cork amateur David Howard surprised himself more than anybody after he secured a Tier 1 Clutch Pro Tour card at Q-School at Mannings Heath Golf Club.
The Fota Island man carded three successive rounds of 70 to qualify in 18th place on six-under-par and he will be joined by Irish professionals Rowan Lester, Marc Boucher and Tom Dowdall.
Howard who is a mechanic by trade proved he has the tools to handle the pro game after being encouraged by Fota Island professional Brian Kelleher to take the plunge at the Clutch qualifier this week.
“Yeah, a big achievement it was kind of a last minute thing,” said Howard. “A few weeks ago Brian Kelleher told me to give it a go and see what the standard was like over here with the big boys. Happy to come out of it with a card.
“I hit the ball the best I did all week, the greens weren’t great, I couldn’t get a putt. I had about six putts from five to seven foot and made none of them. My final hole was the second hole and I made a nine footer for birdie so that was a great way to seal the deal.
“It boosts the confidence knowing that I can be there and thereabouts with some of the professionals and knowing that I didn’t play my best and I could still get the job done.”
The 25-year-old played his first full season as a full-time amateur and came close to winning when he was runner-up at the Connacht Strokeplay and 4th in the Malinger Scratch Cup.
He could turn professional in order to earn money from his Clutch Pro Tour starts next season but after struggling in the big national events on the Irish amateur circuit he still feels he has targets to achieve here and will have to make a decision over the winter on where his future lies.
“I don’t think so,” Howard said on turning pro. “It’s so last minute that I haven’t thought of anything, the plan is to stay amateur for another year and keep going on the amateur scene. I really don’t know I didn’t expect things to play out the way they did at all, just go home, rest and think about things and have a few chats with a few people and see what works out.
“I took the year out for full time golf and this was a nice way to end the season by getting a Clutch card. It was a decent season on the amateur season but this makes up for a few things that I didn’t do.
“This year was my first year playing championships fully. I had played while working full time as a mechanic, I was hoping for a win but I got one second and a few cuts, nothing special but it was decent, hoping to do better next year.”
