While the European Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage takes place every year on his home course PGA Catalunya Resort, Jordi Garcia Pinto has in the past opted instead to educate himself in the school of hard knocks on the way to the top.
For two consecutive seasons, in what is a very rare case, the Spaniard chose not to participate in golf’s great marathon, despite having exemption for Second Stage in 2012 and for Final Stage in 2013.
But he decided he wanted to earn his place among the world’s elite throughout the course of a full season, saying: “I thought that playing one full year on the Challenge Tour would give me far more experience than just one week at Q-School.
That decision paid off in spades as he cruised through the 2014 Challenge Tour season, picking up a second career title at the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open en route finishing seventh in the Rankings.
Now, the 24 year old believes he has what it takes to make it at the top of the world game and thinks his decision to grind it out on the second tier will continue to bear significant fruit as his career progresses.
“It feels great to be a European Tour player,” said Garcia Pinto. “It’s what I’ve been aiming for for the last three years and finally I’ve done it so I’m really happy. I can’t wait to start playing on the tour now.
“After every season on the Challenge Tour I tried to see what the best parts of my game were and what were my worst parts and then worked on those throughout winter. Between all of that hard work and all of the experience I gained playing on the Challenge Tour, it all helped me to always go in the right direction.
“I think my decision was justified, because all I wanted was to get more experience on the Challenge Tour. That’s why I never went to Catalunya.
“I understand for other players, it is a big opportunity and I am sure that if I was older and more experienced, I would play it. But I think, in my situation, it was much better not to get my European Tour card that way.
“I always want to move up, so for me it was better to progress through the Challenge Tour and try to improve on what I did the previous year. It has gone well for me so far so I’m happy with the attitude I had.”
Garcia Pinto has endured some disappointment already in his short career. His maiden Challenge Tour win at the 2013 Barclays Kenya Open sparked tears of joy as he took to the top of the Rankings, but his stock steadily dropped throughout the season and he fell short of the all-important top 15.
It was all part of the experience which Garcia Pinto believes make him the player he is today and, having grown in confidence and physical stature since joining the second tier as a fresh-faced youngster, the Girona native believes he is now ready and able to take on the world.
“I knew after 2013, when I almost graduated from the Challenge Tour, that I was going to do it in 2014,” he said. “I didn’t go to Qualifying School and thought that, with hard work over the winter and with the experience of 2013, I would make it through the Challenge Tour finally
“I have learned how to play tournaments, how to prepare for them and how to practice. I also learned how to deal with the pressure of challenging for a tournament. I learned a lot of things on the Challenge Tour.
“I knew before Kenya that I was able to win a Challenge Tour event but until you do it, it’s only a dream. Once you do it though, you only want more and more. It was a great first win for me.
“Once you win a tournament, you feel like you are capable of getting better results more consistently, and win more tournaments.
“Next year, I think I will have a good season. I will begin working immediately, trying to improve my physical strength and improve all the areas of my game, while also working on the mental part of the game.
“All the tournaments next year will be special. Then there are the big tournaments like Wentworth and the Open de France, and trying to qualify for The Open. I’m looking forward to all of these things.
“Seve is my inspiration, but I’m looking forward to playing with players like Miguel Angel Jiménez, Pablo Larrazábal and the other Spanish players so I will just try to learn from them, look at the best parts of their games and learn that way.”
