By Nick Totten, europeantour.com
At Zhailjau Golf Resort
With the biggest prize fund of the season up for grabs this week at the Kazakhstan Open it is a chance for all of the players in the field to claim a career-changing victory on the European Challenge Tour, but for Mark Pilkington it is particularly special, as he returns to the scene of former glories.
Eight years ago it was the Welshman who took the title in Almaty – but at the other venue in the city, Nurtau Golf Club – and to mark the tenth anniversary of the tournament he was invited to tee it up once again in the Central Asian country, an opportunity that proved too good to refuse.
When the 36 year old won his one and only title on the second tier back in 2006 it propelled him to the top of that season’s graduating class, but in the years hence it has been somewhat of a struggle on the course for the former Welsh Amateur Champion.
Once you fall down the ladder it can be difficult to climb back up, but three solid rounds at Zhailjau Golf Resort are proof that there could still be something for Pilkington in the professional game, with Kazakhstan yet again proving to be a happy hunting ground for the man born in Bangor.
“I’ve played OK this week,” said Pilkington, who enters the final round in a tie for 32nd place at three under par. “It is great to be back having done well in the past, and there is always a feel good vibe coming back to a venue or a place that you’ve done alright at, and it seems to be going well so far.
“Unfortunately I’ve not had a category out on the Challenge Tour to play too much, which has been disappointing, but I’ve been playing and practicing back home and teeing it up in the odd local tournament. I’ve been playing OK though, so it has been nice to come here and put together a few decent rounds.
“I’ve known about the invite for a while now, and there isn’t really any pressure on me, so we’ll see how it goes for the rest of the week. They contacted me back in May about coming, so there has been plenty of time to prepare, and it has been a nice idea of the tournament to honour the tenth anniversary and to invite the past winners back. It’s a nice touch, I’m very grateful for the opportunity, and I’ll go home with some more good memories.”
Pilkington lines up a putt at the 1999 Portuguese Open during his rookie year on The European Tour
Born in to a golf family as the son of a teaching professional, there was little doubt it seems as to what kind of a career Pilkington would embark upon when he grew up.
He took to it with aplomb to boot, earning his European Tour card at the first time of asking in 1998 as a 19 year old amateur, and after a tricky couple of campaigns in which he was unable to retain his playing rights, he successfully negotiated the Qualifying School again in 2000.
Two good years followed at the top of the game, finishing 94th and 81st on the Order of Merit, but he would once again slip back onto the second tier in 2003 until the success that followed three years later, kick started – of course – by his triumph in Kazakhstan.
When asked about his loss of form more recently, he is honest in his appraisal, and does not hide from the fact that it is down to nothing other than poor form.
Some time spent working at Pwllheli Golf Club back in north Wales alongside his brother Stuart over the past few years has ensured that he has stayed in the game though, and with the longevity of a golf career greater than in most sports, it may still not be too late for him to conjure up a professional resurgence.
If not, then at least he will always have Kazakhstan.
“There’s no reason for me losing my card other than just poor golf,” said the man whose best European Tour result came at the 2001 North West of Ireland Open, where he finished third. “Sometimes you can get a bit lost with everything and you can lose your confidence and your form, and it is difficult now as the standard is high, so it doesn’t take much to slip right down.
“It would be nice to finish well here though and hopefully get to play a little more in the future. I miss it hugely, having been involved for a long time, and coming back and competing here just reminds me that it was a big part of my life and it would be nice to have another crack at it.
“It’s not like in football, when you’re done by the time you’re 35, as you can play longer so perhaps it will be a case of being a bit older, and a bit wiser, and who knows.
“I’m still involved in golf though, as my Dad was a golf pro so I was in it from a young age, so it is in the blood in some respects. I’ve been around it the whole time, but it would be nice to have another crack of the whip, and to get back on Tour would be great.”
Pilkington posing alongside his father, John, after the 2006 Grand Final
